E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Cro’zier or Cro’sier.
An archbishop’s staff terminates in a floriated cross, while a bishop’s crook has a curved, bracken-like head. A bishop turns his crook outwards, to denote his wider authority; an abbot (whose crook is the same as a bishop’s) carries it turned inwards, to show that his jurisdiction is limited to his own inmates. When walking with a bishop an abbot covers his crook with a veil hanging from the knob, to show that his authority is veiled in the presence of his superior.
