n. [ OF. crasset, cresset, sort of lamp or torch; perh. of Dutch or German origin, and akin to E. cruse, F. creuset crucible, E. crucible. ] 1. An open frame or basket of iron, filled with combustible material, to be burned as a beacon; an open lamp or firrepan carried on a pole in nocturnal processions. [ 1913 Webster ]

Starry lamps and blazing cressets, fed
With naphtha and asphaltus. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

As a cresset true that darts its length
Of beamy luster from a tower of strength. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Coopering) A small furnace or iron cage to hold fire for charring the inside of a cask, and making the staves flexible. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]