croît

Croît is the third-person singular present indicative form of the French verb croître, which means to grow or to increase in size, number, or degree. It is used to describe growth in natural, social, or economic contexts and can convey the progression of a phenomenon over time. In everyday language, croître tends to be more formal or literary; more common synonyms in speech include grandir, augmenter, or accroître depending on the context.

Etymology and related forms: croître derives from Latin crescere, passing through Old French croistre. The verb is part of a family of Romance verbs dealing with growth. The related noun croissance (growth) is the standard contemporary term for the idea of growth, while surcroît means an additional or extra amount beyond what is expected. The prefix accroître is a synonym meaning to increase or enlarge, typically used transitively.

Usage and conjugation: croît is intransitive and governs a subject that grows, as in “La population croît rapidement.” It can be followed by de to express a rate or amount, for example “le PIB croît de 3 pour cent par an.” Other tenses exist, such as il croissait (imperfect) and il croîtrait (conditional). Present tense forms are je croîs, tu croîs, il croît, nous croissons, vous croissez, ils croissent; the subjunctive forms include que je croisse, que nous croissions.

See also: accroître, croissance, surcroît. Examples: La population croît chaque année; Le revenu croît de 4 %.

Pronunciation: croît se prononce généralement [kʁwa], avec le t final muet. Le circonflexe sur le i signale une ancienne prononciation et une évolution historique du mot.