crouch

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

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.

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?)

     a crouching purpose

   • 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Ivlivs Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene iii]:

3. (intransitive) To bend, or cause to bend, as in humility or fear.

crouch (plural crouches)

1. A bent or stooped position.

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

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

crouch (plural crouches)

1. (obsolete) A cross.

• Crouch End

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

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

• Crochu