frounce

Meanings

Noun

• A canker in the mouth of a hawk.
• A plait or curl.

Verb

• To curl.
• To crease, wrinkle, to frown.
• To gather into or adorn with plaits, as a dress.

Origin

• From Middle English frouncen, from Old French froncir "to wrinkle, frown", from Frankish *hrunkja, from Proto-Germanic *hrunkijō, *hrunkitō, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ("to turn, bend"). Akin to Old High German runza "fold, wrinkle, crease" (German Runzel "wrinkle"), Middle Dutch ronse "frown", Old Norse hrukka "wrinkle, crease" (Icelandic hrukka "wrinkle, crease, ruck"). More at ruck₂.