crouch

See also: Crouch

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɹaʊt͡ʃ/
• Rhymes: -aʊtʃ

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle English crouchen, crucchen, crouken (“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.

Verb

crouch (third-person singular simple present crouches, present participle crouching, simple past and past participle crouched)

1. (intransitive) To bend down; to stoop low; to stand close to the ground with legs bent, as an animal when waiting for prey, or in fear.

   We crouched behind the low wall until the squad of soldiers had passed by.

   • 1922, Virginia Woolf, chapter 2, in Jacob's Room:

     Archer and Jacob jumped up from behind the mound where they had been crouching with the intention of springing upon their mother unexpectedly, and they all began to walk slowly home.

2. (intransitive) To bend servilely; to stoop meanly; to fawn; to cringe.
   • (Can we date this quote by Wordsworth and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     a crouching purpose

   • 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:
3. (intransitive) To bend, or cause to bend, as in humility or fear.

Translations

to bend down

• Bulgarian: навеждам се (naveždam se)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 臥／卧 (zh) (wò), 卧 (zh) (wò), 蹲 (zh) (dūn)

• Estonian: kükitama, küürutama
• Finnish: kyyristyä (fi), kyykistyä (fi)
• French: se tapir (fr), s’accroupir (fr), se recroqueviller (fr)
• Galician: agochar (gl), agachar (gl)
• German: kauern (de)
• Greek: κάθομαι οκλαδόν (káthomai okladón)

  Ancient: ὀκλάζω (oklázō)

• Hungarian: guggol (hu)
• Italian: accovacciarsi (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: しゃがむ (shagamu), 蹲る (うずくまる, uzukumaru)
• Kabuverdianu: djangotô
• Latin: conquiniscō
• Maori: whakapāhake, kōpipiri, pāhake, ngunu, ngunu, tūruru
• Portuguese: agachar (pt)
• Russian: приседа́ть (ru) impf (prisedátʹ), присе́сть (ru) pf (priséstʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: crom
• Serbo-Croatian: čučnuti (sh)
• Spanish: agacharse (es), acuclillarse (es), encogerse (es)
• Turkish: çömelmek (tr)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

to bend servilely

• Bulgarian: раболепнича (bg) (rabolepniča)
• Estonian: kummardama
• Finnish: kumartua (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: whakamaoko
• Russian: пресмыка́ться (ru) (presmykátʹsja), раболе́пствовать (ru) (rabolépstvovatʹ)

to bend, as in humility or fear

• Bulgarian: свивам (bg) (svivam), свивам се (svivam se), стоя приведен (stoja priveden)
• Estonian: kummardama
• Finnish: kumartua (fi)
• Greek: κουλουριάζω (el) (koulouriázo)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: извива́ться (ru) (izvivátʹsja), ви́ться (ru) (vítʹsja)
• Serbo-Croatian: saviti (sh)
• Spanish: encogerse (es), inclinarse (es)

Noun

crouch (plural crouches)

1. A bent or stooped position.

   The cat waited in a crouch, hidden behind the hedge.

Translations

bent or stooped position

• Estonian: kükk, kummardus
• Finnish: kyykky (fi), kumara (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: (Brazil) agachar
• Spanish: inclinación (es), genuflexión (es)

Etymology 2

From Middle English crouche, cruche, from Old English crūċ (“cross”). Compare Old Saxon krūci (“cross”), Old High German chrūzi (“cross”).

Noun

crouch (plural crouches)

1. (obsolete) A cross.

Derived terms

• Crouch End

Verb

1. (obsolete) To sign with the cross; bless.

Translations

to sign with the cross

• Bulgarian: прекръствам (bg) (prekrǎstvam)
• Serbo-Croatian: prekrižiti (sh), prekrstiti (sh)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: persignarse (es)

Anagrams

• Crochu