hunker
To crouch or squat close to the ground or lie downTo crouch or squat close to the ground or lie down.
» I'm ready to hunker down for the evening.
Meaning
2 senses(intransitive)To crouch or squat close to the ground or lie down.
hocken, ducken, kauern
сиде́ть на ко́рточкахsidétʹ na kórtočkax
присі́сти на ногиprysísty na nohy, сі́сти навпо́чіпкиsísty navpóčipky
(intransitive)To apply oneself to a task.
- sit on one's heels
Examples
1 sentencesI'm ready to hunker down for the evening.
Translations
7 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
Originally Scottish. Origin uncertain, but probably of Germanic origin, perhaps *hunk- a nOriginally Scottish. Origin uncertain, but probably of Germanic origin, perhaps *hunk- a nasalised variant of *huk- (compare Scots hoonk, hounk, variants of huk, hok (“to squat, crouch”); Scots hocker (“to crouch down, hunker”)), all of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse huka (“to crouch”), from Proto-Germanic *hūkan- (“to squat”), from *hūkkan-, back-formed from the iterative *huk(k)ōn-, from Proto-Indo-European *kuk-néh₂, from *kewk- (“to curve, bend”) (also the source of high).
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Forms
hunkers, hunkering, hunkered, hunkeredSynonyms
6 synonyms- sit on one's heels:squatcrouchscrunchscrunch uphunker down
Word family
3 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle