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"crucial" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often pivotal (7 letters).
Definitions
of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis
Word origin
1706, from French crucial, a medical term for ligaments of the knee (which cross each other), from Latin crux, crucis (“cross”) (English crux), from the Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, to bend”).
Used in a sentence
“The battle of Tali-Ihantala in 1944 is one of the crucial moments in the history of Finland.”
“A secure supply of crude oil is crucial for any modern nation, let alone a superpower.”
“The perfume industry is facing a major problem: maintaining constant levels of quality is crucial, but it is increasingly difficult to obtain a regular supply of all the necessary natural ingredients.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“pivotal”7 letters
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