Skwat

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To crouch down or sit on one's heels closely to the ground; to occupy an abandoned or unowned space without legal permission; a form of exercise involving bending the knees and lowering the body while keeping the feet flat on the floor
2. To lower oneself by bending the knees deeply until the buttocks nearly touch the heels; to live or stay in a place without official approval; a physical workout movement focusing on strengthening the legs by bending and straightening the knees
3. To assume a low sitting posture with knees bent and feet flat near the ground; to take possession of property without authorization; a training activity that consists of repeatedly bending the knees and rising to a standing position

Etymology: "Squat" comes from Old French "esquatir," meaning "to flatten or press down," which was itself a development of the Vulgar Latin "exquassare," "to shake violently" or "to smash to pieces." The Latin root is "quatere," "to shake," which also gave English words like "concussion" and "percussion." Over time the sense moved from crushing or pressing something flat to a person pressing their body down close to the ground, and English speakers first recorded the verb in this bodily sense in the 14th century. The noun developed from the verb's sense of sitting or settling low. Its uses have multiplied since then: a squatter is someone who settles on unoccupied land or property without permission, and the exercise called a squat takes its name from the crouching position.

Synonyms: squat, crouch, hunker, sit, perch

Antonyms: stand, rise, straighten, stretch