[f. CRESCENT sb. 3 c + -ADE, after crusade.] properly, A religious war waged under the Turkish flag; rhetorically, a jihād or holy war for Islam.

1

1868.  G. Duff, Pol. Surv., 65. The further advance of the White Czar may yet be met by a crescentade, preached from the Caspian far away into the least known regions of China.

2

1884.  Standard, 14 Nov., 5/4. He would then lead a crescentade to drive the English out of Egypt.

3

1888.  M. MacColl, in Contemp. Rev., April, 541. This reactionary crescentade against every attempt at intellectual or moral progress beyond the Koran.

4

  Hence Crescentader.

5

1880.  Blackw. Mag., March, 368. Carried on a litter in rear of his crescentaders.

6