Hudder

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To gather closely together in a tight, crowded group, often for warmth or shelter
2. To press or crowd close with others in a compact cluster, typically in cold or confined conditions
3. To cluster tightly in a huddle, bunching together with other people or animals for comfort

Etymology: In Scots and northern English dialect, "hudder" means a heap or a crowd, or the act of pressing together for warmth or shelter. It is closely tied to "huddle," which carries the same idea of people or things packed close together, and the two are generally treated as related. Standard English took "huddle" and kept it in wide use, while "hudder" stayed largely regional and kept the more physical sense of a mass gathered in one place. Its exact ancestry is uncertain, so it is safest to see it as a northern relative of "huddle" rather than a separate root with a firm earlier form.

Synonyms: huddle, cluster, crowd, cram