crux

Meaning

Noun

• The basic, central, or essential point or feature.
• The critical or transitional moment or issue, a turning point.
• A puzzle or difficulty.
• The hardest point of a climb.
• A cross on a coat of arms.

Origin

• From Latin crux ("cross, wooden frame for execution"), from the Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ("to turn, to bend"). cross.