"take the cross" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "takes the cross",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "taking the cross",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "took the cross",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "taken the cross",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "take<,,took,taken> the cross"
      },
      "expansion": "take the cross (third-person singular simple present takes the cross, present participle taking the cross, simple past took the cross, past participle taken the cross)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2007, Edwin Mullins, The Popes of Avignon, Blue Bridge, published 2008, page 63:",
          "text": "And in this respect he was not alone; noblemen throughout Europe were forever taking the cross and vowing loudly to set sail for the Holy Land, only to discover any number of good reasons for not actually doing so.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To accept a sign or badge depicting the Christian cross as part of an oath or vow, especially to take part in a crusade."
      ],
      "id": "en-take_the_cross-en-verb-i1im12dV",
      "links": [
        [
          "cross",
          "cross"
        ],
        [
          "oath",
          "oath"
        ],
        [
          "vow",
          "vow"
        ],
        [
          "crusade",
          "crusade"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly historical) To accept a sign or badge depicting the Christian cross as part of an oath or vow, especially to take part in a crusade."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "take the cross"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "takes the cross",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "taking the cross",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "took the cross",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "taken the cross",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "take<,,took,taken> the cross"
      },
      "expansion": "take the cross (third-person singular simple present takes the cross, present participle taking the cross, simple past took the cross, past participle taken the cross)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with historical senses",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2007, Edwin Mullins, The Popes of Avignon, Blue Bridge, published 2008, page 63:",
          "text": "And in this respect he was not alone; noblemen throughout Europe were forever taking the cross and vowing loudly to set sail for the Holy Land, only to discover any number of good reasons for not actually doing so.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To accept a sign or badge depicting the Christian cross as part of an oath or vow, especially to take part in a crusade."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "cross",
          "cross"
        ],
        [
          "oath",
          "oath"
        ],
        [
          "vow",
          "vow"
        ],
        [
          "crusade",
          "crusade"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly historical) To accept a sign or badge depicting the Christian cross as part of an oath or vow, especially to take part in a crusade."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "take the cross"
}