Forms: 5–7 crue, 5–6 crewe, 6– crew. [a. OF. creue increase, augmentation, reinforcement, sb. fem. f. pa. pple. of croistre to grow, increase, etc.; perh. in part aphetic form of acrewe, ACCRUE, which easily became a crue.
Documentary evidence for acrewe (in Eng.) is not known of so early a date as that for crewe. In the general sense, both words go back to an early date in OF.; but in the special sense ‘military reinforcement’ Godefroy’s examples of creue, acreue are only of 1554–8.]
I. † 1. An augmentation or reinforcement of a military force; hence, a body of soldiers organized for a particular purpose, as to garrison a fortress, for an expedition, campaign, etc.; a band or company of soldiers. Obs.
1455. Rolls of Parl. 34 Hen. VI., c. 46. The wages of ccc men ordeigned to be with him for a Crue over the ordinary charge abovesaid.
1494. Fabyan, Chron., VII. 444. The Frensh kynge sent soone after into Scotlande a crewe of Frenshemen, to ayde suche enemyes as Kyng Edwarde there had.
1548. Hall, Chron., 175 b. Sir Simon Mondford with a great crew, was appoynted to keep the dounes and the five Portes.
1550. Acts Privy Council E. (1891), III. 5. It was thought necessarie to encrease the crewe of Berwicke with a more nombre of men.
1577–87. Holinshed, Chron., III. 808/2. To be generall of the crue … sent into Spaine.
2. By extension: Any organized or associated force, band or body of armed men.
1570. Levins, Manip., 94. A crewe, caterua.
1575. Churchyard, Chippes (1817), 134. To foster and nourishe this crue of men in the marshall arte and rules of warre.
1608. Shaks., Per., V. i. 176. A crew of pirates came and rescued me.
1667. Milton, P. L., XII. 38. A crew, whom like Ambition joyns With him or under him to tyrannize.
1786. Gilpin, Mts. & Lakes Cumbrld. (1788), II. 128. Those crews of outlawed banditti, who under the denomination of Moss-troopers, plundered the country.
1866. Kingsley, Herew., I. i. 35. [He] had fallen in … with Hereward and his crew of housecarles.
3. A number of persons gathered together in association; a company.
1579. Lyly, Euphues (Arb.), 51. Don Ferardo one of the chiefe gouernours of the citie … had a courtly crew of gentlewomen soiourning in his pallaice.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., I. iv. 7. There a noble crew Of lords and ladies stood on every side.
1632. Milton, L’Allegro, 38. Mirth, admit me of thy crew.
1641. Brome (title), A Joviall Crew, or the Merry Beggars.
1732. Lediard, Sethos, II. VII. 104. About break of day … this monstrous tatter’d crew entered the city.
1832. W. Irving, Alhambra, I. 188. As gaunt and ragged as a crew of gypsies.
b. transf. An assemblage of animals or things.
1607. Rowlands, Dr. Merrie-man (1609), 15. A Crew of Foxes, all on theeuing set, Togeather at a Countrie Hen-roost met.
1674. N. Fairfax, Bulk & Selv., To Rdr. The same bodies crew of atoms.
1704. Swift, Batt. Bks. (1711), 246. Excrescencies in form of Teats, at which a Crew of ugly Monsters were greedily sucking.
1877. N. W. Linc. Gloss., Crew, a confused crowd. It may be applied to lifeless things as well as living. ‘You nivver seed such a crew o’ plough-jags as we hed to-year.’
4. A number of persons classed together (by the speaker) from actual connection or common characteristics; often with derogatory qualification or connotation; lot, set, gang, mob, herd.
1570. B. Googe, Pop. Kingd., III. 281. The supper serueth for desertes, with papistes euery where … And is not this a goodly crewe?
1581. Mulcaster, Positions, v. (1887), 35. A crew of excellent painters.
1593. Shaks., 2 Hen. VI., II. ii. 72. Winke at the Duke of Suffolkes insolence, At Beaufords Pride, at Somersets Ambition, At Buckingham, and all the Crew of them.
1628. Prynne, Loue-lockes, 27. They would be singular and different from the vulger Crue.
1778. Foote, Trip Calais, II. Wks. 1799, II. 358. Lady Kitty.… You want some tale to run tattling with to the rest of the crew. Hetty. Crew? I don’t understand what your Ladyship means by the crew; tho’ we are servants, we may be as good Christians as other people, I hope.
1884. W. C. Smith, Kildrostan, 80.
| He only looked the gloomier, and cursed | |
| Himself, his friend, and all the ravenous crew | |
| Of jobbers and promoters. |
II. Specific or technical uses, from 2.
5. A body or squad of workmen engaged upon a particular piece of work, or under one foreman or overseer; a gang.
In U.S. and Canada esp. one of the companies or gangs of men engaged together in lumber-cutting, in working a railway train, etc.
1699. Dampier, Voy., II. II. 88. I was yet a Stranger to this Work, therefore remained with 3 of the old Crew to cut more Logwood.
1701. Aberdeen Burgh Rec., 21 April. Divisions into crews for carying sting burdens.
1808. Forsyth, Beauties Scotl., V. 434. Every four men, which is called a crew, are said to quarry one hundred and four thousand slates in a year.
1860. C. Hallock, in Harper’s Mag., XX. 444/1. A ‘crew’ consists of from twenty to thirty men, in charge of the ‘boss,’ of whom two are experienced choppers, two barkers and sled-tenders, [etc.].
1878. Lumberman’s Gaz., 9 Feb. Logging crews are coming out of the woods there.
6. Naut. a. A gang of men on a ship of war, placed under the direction of a petty officer, or told off for some particular duty, as manning a boat, etc.
1692. Order, in J. Love, Mariner’s Jewel (1724), 120. Quarter-Gunner, Carpenter’s Crew, Steward, Cook.
a. 1700. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Crew, the Coxon and Rowers in the Barge or Pinnace, are called the Boats-crew, in distinction from the Complement of Men on Board the Ship, who are term’d the Ships-Company, not Crew.
1712. W. Rogers, Voy., 7. Henry Oliphant, Gunner, with eight Men call’d the Gunners Crew.
1726. Shelvocke, Voy. Round World (1757), 18. To order the cooper and his crew to trim the casks.
1836. Marryat, Midsh. Easy, xxv. Among the boat’s crew taken with him by Captain Wilson.
1868. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., 222. There are in ships of war several particular crews or gangs, as the gunner’s, carpenter’s, sailmaker’s, blacksmith’s, armourer’s, and cooper’s crews.
b. The whole of the men belonging to and manning a ship, boat, or other vessel afloat. (Now the leading sense.)
In a general sense the ship’s crew includes all under the captain, but in a more restricted sense it is applied to the men only, to the exclusion of the officers.
1694. Smith & Walford, Acc. Sev. Late Voy., II. (1711), 170. Whoever of a Ships Crew sees a dead Whale, cries out Fish mine.
1699. Dampier, Voy., II. II. 86. Supposing the Captain and Crew would soon be with him.
1726. Adv. Capt. R. Boyle, 176. I did not know how to dispose of the Ship and the rest of the Crew.
1796. H. Hunter, trans. St.-Pierre’s Stud. Nat. (1799), I. p. liv. The corrupted air … carries off the seamen of our trading vessels by whole crews at once.
1817. W. Selwyn, Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4), II. 904. Whether the ship was thus destroyed … by the captain and crew.
1847. Grote, Greece, I. xl. (1862), III. 447. The Egyptians … had captured five Grecian ships with their entire crews.
1893. Whitaker’s Almanac, 617. The stroke oar in the Oxford crew…. Both crews came to Putney on the same day.
