1. A wicker basket, especially one used by anglers for carrying fish.
2. A frame for holding bobbins or spools in a spinning machine.

[Middle English crel, from Old French *creille, latticework, from Latin crātīcula, gridiron, diminutive of crātis, wickerwork.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.