Word
crouch
US/ˈkɹaʊtʃ/
UK/kɹˈaʊtʃ/
Definitions
01to bend down low
v. to lower your body by bending your knees, often to hide or to get ready to jump.
v. to stoop or bend low with the limbs drawn close to the body, typically to avoid detection or prepare for sudden movement.
“The children had to crouch behind the sofa so their parents wouldn't see them.”
“The photographer had to crouch in the tall grass for hours to capture the leopard without startling it.”
Usage
Intransitive verb; often followed by prepositions like 'down', 'behind', or 'under'.
02to act servilely
v. to behave in a very humble way toward someone powerful, often because you are afraid.
v. to behave in a servile or cringing manner; to show excessive humility or fear toward an authority figure.
“The servants would crouch before the cruel king whenever he entered the room.”
“In the historical novel, the peasants were forced to crouch in the presence of the lord to show their total submission.”
Literary
Usage
Often used figuratively to describe a lack of dignity or extreme social inequality.
03a stooped position
n. a position where your knees are bent and your body is close to the ground.
n. a stooped or bent posture.
“He stayed in a low crouch until the deer had passed by his hiding spot.”
“The sprinter held a tense crouch at the starting line, waiting for the signal to explode into motion.”
Usage
Commonly used in the phrase 'in a crouch'.
Synonyms
04to sign with a cross
v. to make the sign of a cross as a religious blessing.
v. to sign with the cross; to bless or protect through a cruciform gesture.
“The old priest would crouch the foreheads of the children as they entered.”
“The manuscript describes how the monks would crouch themselves before entering the sacred chamber.”
Archaic
Usage
This sense is no longer used in modern English and is found only in historical or period texts.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“A fellow tow truck driver who was a passenger in Selvasingam’s white Mercedes SUV managed to crouch down and survived.” “Crouching, he tucked himself into it and put his hand to his watch.” 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.
From Middle English crouche, cruche, from Old English crūċ (“cross”). Compare Old Saxon krūci (“cross”), Old High German krūzi (“cross”). Doublet of cross and crux.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/crouch