Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - crater

 I. noun  Etymology: Latin, mixing bowl, ~, from Greek krater, from kerannynai to mix; akin to Sanskrit sri?ati he mixes  Date: 1613  1.  a. the bowl-shaped depression around the orifice of a volcano  b. a depression formed by an impact (as of a meteorite)  c. a hole in the ground made by the explosion of a bomb or shell  2. an eroded lesion  3. a dimple in a painted surface  • ~like adjective  II. verb  Date: 1884  intransitive verb  1. to exhibit or form ~s  2. to fail or fall suddenly and dramatically ; collapse, crash the deal ~ed ~ing stock prices  transitive verb to form ~s in  III. variant of krater