crater

Etymology 1

First coined 1613, from Latin crātēr (“basin”), from Ancient Greek κρᾱτήρ (krātḗr, “mixing-bowl, wassail-bowl”).

noun

1. (astronomy) A hemispherical pit created by the impact of a meteorite or other object.
2. (geology) The basin-like opening or mouth of a volcano, through which the chief eruption comes; similarly, the mouth of a geyser, about which a cone of silica is often built up.
3. The pit left by the explosion of a mine or bomb.
   But signalman Bridges was never to answer driver Gimbert's desperate question. A deafening, massive blast blew the wagon to shreds, the 44 high-explosive bombs exploding like simultaneous hits from the aircraft they should have been dropped from. The station was instantly reduced to bits of debris, and the line to a huge crater. January 12 2022, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 43
4. (informal, by extension) Any large, roughly circular depression or hole.
5. (historical) Alternative spelling of krater (“vessel for mixing water and wine”)
   The people of those parts lived in underground houses - more of dug-outs - along with their goats and sheep and they had great craters full of wine, barley-wine, that they drank through reeds. 1941, Louis MacNeice, The March of the 10,000

verb

1. To form craters in a surface.
2. (figurative) To collapse catastrophically; to become devastated or completely destroyed.
   Yup, John McCain said to me the economy “is about to crater.” You folks worried about the economy? Whoo! Not me. 2008-11-25, David Letterman, quoting John McCain, “‘The Economy Is Exploding’”, in NYTimes blog
   Uber said on Thursday that its ride-hailing business had cratered in the second quarter as people traveled less in the pandemic. 2020-08-06, Kate Conger, “Uber’s Revenue Craters, as Deliveries Surge in Pandemic”, in New York Times
   The potential agreement comes after months of disputes that have created existential challenges for Twitter, cratering its share price, demoralizing its employees and spooking the advertisers it relies on for revenue. 2022-10-04, Kate Conger, Lauren Hirsch, “Elon Musk Suggests Buying Twitter at His Original Price”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
3. (snowboarding) To crash or fall.
   He cratered into that snow bank about five seconds after his first lesson.

Etymology 2

noun

1. (Scotland, Ireland) Alternative form of creature.
   I then had the two best tarriers beneath the canopy; this poor crater is their daughter," and he patted the dog's head affectionately. 1843, William Hamilton Maxwell, Wild Sports of the West: With Legendary Tales, and Local Sketches, R. Bentley, page 77
   She is a charming crater; I would venture to say that, if I was not her father. 1772, David Garrick, “The Irish Widow”, in The British Drama: A Collection of the Most Esteemed Tragedies, Comedies ..., published 1859, page 611