crutch

Meanings

Noun

• A device to assist in motion as a cane, especially one that provides support under the arm to reduce weight on a leg.
• Something that supports, often used negatively to indicate that it is not needed and causes an unhealthful dependency; a prop
• A crotch; the area of body where the legs fork from the trunk.
• A form of pommel for a woman's saddle, consisting of a forked rest to hold the leg of the rider.
• A knee, or piece of knee timber.
• A forked stanchion or post; a crotch.
• A type of cross formed from two C-shapes joined back to back.

Verb

• To support on crutches; to prop up.
• To move on crutches.
• To shear the hindquarters of a sheep; to dag.
• to stir with a crutch.

Origin

• From Middle English crucche, from Old English cryċċ ("crutch, staff"), from Proto-Germanic *krukjō ("crutch, staff"), from Proto-Indo-European *grewg- ("wrinkle, bend"), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- ("to turn, bend").
• Cognate with Scots curche, crutch, Dutch kruk ("crutch"), Low German krukke, Krück, German Krücke ("crutch"), Swedish krycka ("crutch"). Latin crucia, crucca, croccia, crocia, and its descendants are ultimately from the Germanic.