Borrowed from Middle Low German krūze, krūce, from Old Saxon krūci, from Latin crux. Compare also German Kreuz, Dutch kruis, with diphthongs going back to a long vowel, which points to a late borrowing (with a medieval pronunciation of the Latin word). English cross, with a short open vowel, is derived independently from Old Irish cros, from a Vulgar Latin pronunciation with /o/ from short u. Doublet of kors (“(Christian) cross”).