cra·ton \ˈkrāˌtän\noun (-s) Etymology: German kraton, modification of Greek kratos strength, power — more at hard : a stable relatively immobile area of the earth's crust that forms the nuclear mass of a continent or the central basin of an ocean — compare shield • cra·ton·al\(ˈ)krā|tänəl\orcra·ton·ic\-nik\adjective