from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Creche \Cr[`e]che\ (kr[asl]sh), n. [F.]
1. A public nursery, where the young children of poor women
are cared for during the day, while their mothers are at
work.
[1913 Webster]
2. a day-care center for young children.
[PJC]
3. a three-dimensional model of the scene described in the
Bible at the birth of Jesus Christ in a stable at
Bethlehem, with Mary and Joseph near a manger in which a
model of the infant Christ child is lain, and usually
including figures of animals, shepherds, and the three
wise men; -- also called a {Nativity scene}. The figures
in the scene are typically made as individual statues or
figurines. Smaller models are displayed in homes and other
indoor locations during the Christmans season, and larger
models, often life-size, may be displayed out of doors.
[PJC]
4. (Biol.) a nest where the young of several animals are
cared for in a communal fashion.
[PJC]