crèche

A crèche is a nativity scene—a model of a scene depicting the birth of Jesus.

Crèches are often displayed in or outside of homes or churches during Advent, the season preceding Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus and is among the most important Christian holidays. A crèche is also commonly called a Nativity scene or simply a Nativity.

Crèche is also sometimes used to refer to a childcare facility like a day care. This sense of the word is primarily used in the United Kingdom.

It is sometimes seen without the accent mark, which comes from its French spelling.

Example: My children’s favorite part of the crèche is the goats and other animals.

The first records of the crèche in English come from the late 1700s. It is borrowed directly from French, in which it means “crib” or “manger.”

The earliest uses of crèche in English referred to a crib, often in a direct reference to the story of Jesus’s birth. According to the Biblical account of his birth, Jesus was born in a stable (a small barn for feeding and housing animals), and a manger (a feeding trough) was used as his cradle.

People have displayed crèches during Christmastime for hundreds of years. Crèches can be small (like the kind that can fit under the Christmas tree or on a shelf) or large (like the kind that are displayed on the front lawn of a house or outside of a church). Most include figures representing the infant Jesus in a crib, Mary, Joseph, and shepherds and animals. Many crèches also feature the Magi, or “three wise men” (though traditions differ about whether they should be included).

The word crèche has been used to refer to childcare centers since the mid-1800s. The term was originally used in France and spread to the U.K. In the U.S, equivalent terms are daycare and preschool.

In a scientific context, the word crèche refers to a group of young animals, especially birds, that have been left without parental care. In most cases, this turns into a comedy movie in which the main character eventually adopts them after learning to love their zany antics.

What are some synonyms for crèche?

• Nativity scene
• Nativity
• day care

What are some words that often get used in discussing crèche?

• Jesus
• scene
• manger
• crib
• Christmas
• Yuletide
• child
• care

In the U.S., crèches are more popularly called nativity scenes. When crèche refers to a day care, it is used in much the same way, such as in phrases like crèche fees. 

I'm not myself a Christmas dude. But I love watching my bro-in-law put up the creche, as he has intently done every year since childhood. Always a special moment we are honored to share with him. pic.twitter.com/VHNHQkASej

— Harold Pollack (@haroldpollack) December 23, 2018

Our antique creche set is simple but I love it. The figurines were made in Italy in the 1950s and were passed down to us from older generations. Another thing I love is how both my parents and my in-laws had the same Nativity figurines, purchased at similar times in mid-century. pic.twitter.com/7yuR3EXDXg

— Gerri Giovanelli Bauer (@gerribauer) December 9, 2019

If one parent works and the other stays at home to mind the children, they can’t get a mortgage. If both parents are working and they have to pay for creche fees, they still can’t get a mortgage. https://t.co/nfGOoop8jj

— IMAGE Media (@image_magazine) March 29, 2018

Is crèche used correctly in the following sentence?

When we set up the crèche, we always wait until Christmas Eve to place the baby Jesus in his manger.