What does creese mean?
A creese is a distinctive dagger associated with Malaysia and Indonesia, characterized by a narrow blade with an asymmetrical, wavy profile that often resembles a flame. It typically features an elaborately carved handle, sometimes crafted from wood, ivory, or precious metal, and the weapons frequently carry deep cultural and even spiritual significance in the societies where they are made. In English, 'creese' is a variant spelling that has largely given way to 'kris', which is now the standard form in modern dictionaries. Consequently, 'creese' survives chiefly in older texts, historical narratives about the East Indies, and antiquarian writing about arms and armor. Readers encountering the word today will most often find it in literature of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries or in scholarly discussions of Southeast Asian weaponry. For anyone writing about such daggers in contemporary prose, 'kris' is the safer, more widely recognized choice.
nounA creese is a Malay dagger with a wavy, flame-like blade, typically having an ornate handle; it is more commonly spelled 'kris'.
- A Malay dagger with a wavy, asymmetric blade and ornate handle; a variant spelling of kris.
"The museum displayed a creese with an intricately carved ivory hilt."
"The old sea captain kept a creese mounted above his fireplace as a souvenir of his voyages to the East Indies."
"In the novel, the assassin drew a creese from beneath his cloak."
The standard plural adds -es; because the word ends in -s, the plural is pronounced with an extra syllable.
"The display case held several creeses of varying blade lengths."
Its blade may ripple like a flame, but this dagger's real edge is its name — the same weapon English speakers usually call a 'kris'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
How creese is actually used
The spelling 'creese' is now largely historical; modern dictionaries and usage strongly prefer 'kris'. The word carries an exotic, antiquarian flavor and appears mainly in older literature, historical accounts of Southeast Asia, and descriptions of weapons.
Easily confused with creese
A 'crease' is a line or fold made in paper, fabric, or skin (or, in cricket, a marked line), whereas a 'creese' is a wavy-bladed Malay dagger.