\Cra"ter\ (kr?t?r), n. [L. crater, cratera, a mixing
vessel, the mouth of a volcano, Gr. krath`r, fr. keranny`nai
to mix; cf. Skr. [,c]r[imac] to mix, [,c]ir to cook,
[,c]r[=a] to cook. Cf. {Grail}, in Holy Grail.]
1. The basinlike opening or mouth of a volcano, through which
   the chief eruption comes; similarly, the mouth of a
   geyser, about which a cone of silica is often built up.
2. (Mil.) The pit left by the explosion of a mine.
3. (Astron.) A constellation of the southen hemisphere; --
   called also the {Cup}.