crouch
/ˈkɹaʊ̯t͡ʃ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.26 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
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.
Intransitive verb
name
A surname.
name
A ghost town in California.
Example Sentences
- "We crouched behind the low wall until the squad of soldiers had passed by."
- "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."
- "kings ſhall crouch vnto our conquering ſwords, And hoſtes of Souldiers ſtand amazd at vs, When with their fearfull tongues they ſhall confeſſe Theſe are the men that al the world admires,"
- "Must I stand and crouch Under your testy humour?"
- "a crouching purpose"
- "The cat waited in a crouch, hidden behind the hedge."
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkɹaʊ̯t͡ʃ/
- British English: /ˈkɹaʊ̯t͡ʃ/