Hunker

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈhʌŋkə/

Definitions

1. To lower oneself into a crouched position while also establishing a strong presence in preparation for challenging circumstances
2. To position oneself in a squatting posture while simultaneously committing to endure through tough events
3. To bend the knees and lower the body close to the ground ; to establish oneself securely to remain for an extended period, especially during difficulty

Etymology: Hunker began as a Scottish word, and its ancestry runs back to the idea of bending. Its probable source is Old Norse "huka", meaning "to crouch", which sits in a Proto-Germanic verb for squatting. That Germanic root is generally traced to a Proto-Indo-European base meaning "to curve, bend", the same ancestor that gave English "high", a link that is easy to miss because the two words have diverged so far. Scots had a whole family of close relatives, including "hocker" and "hoonk", all describing a low, folded posture. German "hocken" and Dutch "huiken" are probable cognates, so the crouching sense was shared across the North Sea region. The verb's origin itself remains uncertain, and its exact route into standard English is not firmly documented.

Synonyms: squat, crouch

Antonyms: stand, rise