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Crouch vs Grovel - What's the difference?

crouch | grovel |

As verbs the difference between crouch and grovel

is that crouch is (obsolete) to sign with the cross; bless or crouch can be to bend down; to stoop low; to lie close to the ground with legs bent, as an animal when waiting for prey, or in fear while grovel is to be prone on the ground.

As a noun crouch

is (obsolete) a cross or crouch can be a bent or stooped position.

crouch

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) crouche, cruche, from (etyl) .

Noun

(es)
  • (obsolete) A cross.
  • Verb

    (es)
  • (obsolete) To sign with the cross; bless.
  • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) crouchen, crucchen, . More at (l).

    Verb

  • To bend down; to stoop low; to lie 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), (w, Jacob's Room) Chapter 2
  • 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.
  • To bend servilely; to stoop meanly; to fawn; to cringe.
  • * Wordsworth
  • a crouching purpose
  • * Shakespeare
  • Must I stand and crouch / Under your testy humour?
  • To bend, or cause to bend, as in humility or fear.
  • Noun

    (es)
  • A bent or stooped position.
  • The cat waited in a crouch , hidden behind the hedge.
  • A button (of a joypad, joystick or similar device) whose only or main current function is that when it is pressed causes a video game character to crouch.
  • grovel

    English

    Verb

  • To be prone on the ground.
  • To crawl
  • To abase oneself before another person.
  • To be nice to someone or apologize in the hope of securing something.
  • To take pleasure in mundane activities.
  • Usage notes

    * The spellings grovelling and grovelled are more common in the UK. Groveling and groveled are more common in the US.

    Anagrams

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