English Explanatory Dictionary

crouch

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To bend down; to stoop low; to stand close to the ground with legs bent, like an animal when waiting for prey, or someone in fear.
  2. To bend servilely; to bow in reverence or humility.
noun
  1. A bent or stooped position.
noun
  1. A cross.
verb
  1. To sign with the cross; bless.
name
  1. A surname.
  2. A ghost town in California.
  3. A city and town in Idaho.
  4. A short tidal river in Essex, England.

Pronunciation

/kɹaʊt͡ʃ/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Mélange a trois-crouch.wav

Word forms

crouch crouches crouching crouched

Etymology

From Middle English crouchen (“to bend, crouch”), variant of croken (“to bend, crook”), from crok (“crook, hook”), from Old Norse krókr (“hook”), from Proto-Germanic *krōkaz (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerg- (“wicker, bend”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, wind, weave”). Compare Middle Dutch krōken (“to crook, curl”). More at crook.

Synonyms

huddle

Related words

crouch ware crouchware

Derived words

croucher crouchy semicrouch uncrouch Crouch End Burnham-on-Crouch Crouchian

Translations

Bulgarian: свивам Bulgarian: свивам се Bulgarian: стоя приведен Estonian: kummardama Finnish: kumartua Greek: κουλουριάζω Portuguese: prostar-se Russian: извива́ться Russian: ви́ться Serbo-Croatian: saviti Spanish: encogerse Spanish: inclinarse Ottoman Turkish: پوصمق
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