squat

Meanings

Adjective

• Relatively short or low, and thick or broad.
• Sitting on the hams or heels; sitting close to the ground; cowering; crouching.

Noun

• A position assumed by bending deeply at the knees while resting on one's feet.
• Any of various modes of callisthenic exercises performed by moving the body and bending at least one knee.
• A building occupied without permission, as practiced by a squatter.
• A place of concealment in which a hare spends time when inactive, especially during the day; a form.
• A toilet used by squatting as opposed to sitting; a squat toilet.
• Short form of diddly-squat; something of no value.
• A sudden or crushing fall.
• A small vein of ore.
• A mineral consisting of tin ore and spar.
• The angel shark (genus Squatina).

Verb

• To bend deeply at the knees while resting on one's feet.
• To perform one or more callisthenic exercises by moving the body and bending at least one knee.
• To occupy or reside in a place without the permission of the owner.
• To sit close to the ground; to cower; to stoop, or lie close, to escape observation, as a partridge or rabbit.
• To bruise or flatten by a fall; to squash.
• To cybersquat.

Origin

• From Middle English squatten, from Old French esquatir, escatir, from es- + quatir, from Vulgar Latin *coactire, from Latin coactus, perfect passive participle of cogo.
• The sense “nothing” may be the source or a derivation of diddly-squat.
• From Latin squatina.