Lurk vs Crouch - What's the difference?

As verbs the difference between lurk and crouch

is that lurk is to remain concealed in order to ambush while 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.

As nouns the difference between lurk and crouch

is that lurk is the act of lurking while crouch is (obsolete) a cross or crouch can be a bent or stooped position.

lurk

English

Verb

(en verb)

To remain concealed in order to ambush.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=55, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= Travels and travails , passage=Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.}}

To remain unobserved.

* 1898 , , (Moonfleet) Chapter 4

Thus my plight was evil indeed, for I had nothing now to burn to give me light, and knew that 'twas no use setting to grout till I could see to go about it. Moreover, the darkness was of that black kind that is never found beneath the open sky, no, not even on the darkest night, but lurks in close and covered places and strains the eyes in trying to see into it.

To hang out or wait around a location, preferably without drawing attention to oneself.

* 2005 , (Plato), Sophist . Translation by Lesley Brown. .

if we find the sophist lurking , we must round him up by royal command of the argument

(Internet) To view an internet forum without posting comments.

Derived terms

* lurker

Noun

(en noun)

The act of lurking.

* 1921 : George Colby Borley, The Lost Horizon

There were enemies on the lurk and time was against him.

* 1955 : John Maxwell Edmonds Longus, Daphnis et Chloe

... barked furiously and made at him as at a wolf, and before he could wholly rise from the lurk because of the sudden consternation, ...

* 2004 : Charles Reade, A Simpleton

At two PM a man had called on him, and had produced one of his advertisements, and had asked him if that was all square—no bobbies on the lurk .

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.