Scouch

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To lower the body close to the ground, often in fear or to hide, by bending the knees and hunching the shoulders
2. To crouch down low, drawing the body in and hunkering close to the earth, usually to avoid being seen
3. To squat or cower low in a cramped, bent position, typically out of fear or in an effort to stay hidden

Etymology: "Scouch" is an English word meaning to crouch or squat down, and its etymology is tied directly to "crouch," which it is compared with. The two words share a common ancestry, and the forms differ mainly by an s- at the front, a pattern seen in other pairs of English verbs that developed from the same root with slightly different shapes. Because the word sits so closely beside "crouch," it is best understood as a near relative rather than a separate coinage. Its story is therefore the story of "crouch," with "scouch" preserved as a variant form that kept the same sense of bending low to the ground.