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crusade

n. · v.
US //kɹuˈseɪd// UK //kɹuːsˈeɪd// cru·sade
  1. 1 a campaign for change (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Politics

    a long and determined effort to achieve something you believe is right or to stop something you think is wrong.

    a vigorous, concerted movement or campaign for a cause, often social, political, or moral in nature.

    Example

    The local newspaper started a crusade against the new plastic waste in the ocean.

    Example

    The senator led a lifelong crusade against corporate corruption, eventually resulting in the landmark legislation passed last autumn.

    Usage

    Often used with the preposition 'against' or 'for'.
  2. 2 historical religious war (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal Religion

    one of the religious wars in the 11th to 13th centuries where European Christians fought to take control of the Holy Land.

    any of the military expeditions undertaken by European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from Muslim rule.

    Example

    In history class, we learned about the First Crusade and its effect on Europe.

    Example

    Historians continue to debate the complex economic and social motivations that drove the nobility to join the Third Crusade.

    Teacher's tip

    When referring to the specific historical events, the word is usually capitalized as 'the Crusades'.
    • holy war
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  1. 3 to fight for a cause (v.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    to take part in a long and energetic campaign for something you believe in.

    to lead or take part in an energetic and persistent campaign for a specific cause.

    Example

    She has spent years crusading for better rights for part-time workers.

    Example

    The activist spent her entire career crusading for environmental protections, even when faced with significant political opposition.

    Usage

    The verb is intransitive and typically takes the preposition 'for' or 'against'.
Origin

From French croisade, introduced into English (in the French spelling) by 1575. The modern spelling emerges c. 1760,. Middle French croisade is introduced in the 15th century, based on Spanish cruzada (late 14th century) and Old Occitan crozada (early 13th century), both reflecting Medieval Latin cruciāta, cruxiata, the feminine singular of the adjective cruciātus used as an abstract noun. Adjectival cruciātus originally meant "tormented; crucified", but from the 12th century crucesignatus was also used for "marked with a cross; making the sign of the cross" and eventually "taking the cross" in the sense of "going on a crusade". Old Occitan crozada is used in the sense "[the Albigensian] crusade" in the Song of the Albigensian crusade, written c. 1213. From vernacular usage, Middle Latin cruciāta also comes to be used in the sense "crusade" from about 1270.

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