squat
- squat
\ \ [13] Someone who squats is etymologically ‘forced together’ – and indeed the verb originally meant ‘squash, flatten’ in English (‘This stone shall fall on such men, and squat them all to powder’, John Wyclif, Sermons 1380). Not until the early 15th century did the modern sense (based on the notion of hunching oneself up small and low) emerge. The word was adapted from Old French esquatir, a compound verb formed from the intensive prefix es- and quatir ‘press flat’. This in turn came from Vulgar Latin *coactīre ‘press together’, a verb based on Latin coāctus, the past participle of cōgere ‘force together’ (from which English gets cogent [17]).
\ \ The adjectival use of squat for ‘thickset’, which preserves some of the word’s original connotations of being ‘flattened’, is first recorded in 1630. Swat ‘slap’ [17] originated as a variant of squat.
\ \ Cf.⇒ COGENT, SWAT
Word origins - 2ed.
J. Ayto.
2005.
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squat — squat … Dictionnaire des rimes
squat — [ skwat ] n. m. • v. 1975; de squatter ♦ Anglic. 1 ♦ Occupation d un immeuble par des squatteurs. 2 ♦ Habitation occupée par un squatteur. ● squat nom masculin (anglais to squat, s asseoir sur les talons) Action de squatter une habitation.… … Encyclopédie Universelle
squat´ly — squat «skwot», verb, squat|ted or squat, squat|ting, adjective, noun. –v.i. 1. to sit on the heels; crouch: »He found it difficult to squat on his heels for more than a few minutes … Useful english dictionary
Squat — (engl. von to squat, niederhocken) ist ein Begriff aus der Schifffahrt und bezeichnet das fahrdynamische vertikale Absinken eines Schiffes über den eigentlichen Tiefgang hinaus (Absunk oder Sunk), bei gleichzeitiger Vertrimmung. Die Vertrimmung… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Squat — Squat, a. 1. Sitting on the hams or heels; sitting close to the ground; cowering; crouching. [1913 Webster] Him there they found, Squat like a toad, close at the ear of Eve. Milton. [1913 Webster] 2. Short and thick, like the figure of an animal… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Squat — Squat, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Squatted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Squatting}.] [OE. squatten to crush, OF. esquater, esquatir (cf. It. quatto squat, cowering), perhaps fr. L. ex + coactus, p. p. of cogere to drive or urge together. See {Cogent}, {Squash},… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Squat — Squat, n. 1. The posture of one that sits on his heels or hams, or close to the ground. [1913 Webster] 2. A sudden or crushing fall. [Obs.] Herbert. [1913 Webster] 3. (Mining) (a) A small vein of ore. (b) A mineral consisting of tin ore and spar … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
squat — [skwät] vi. squatted, squatting [ME squatten < MFr esquatir < es (L ex ), intens. + quatir, to press flat < VL * coactire < L coactus, pp. of cogere, to force, compress: see COGENT] 1. to crouch so as to sit on the heels with the… … English World dictionary
Squat — (skw[o^]t), n. (Zo[ o]l.) The angel fish ({Squatina angelus}). [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Squat — Squat, v. t. To bruise or make flat by a fall. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
squat — [adj] short and stocky broad, chunky, dumpy*, fat, heavy, heavyset, splay, thick, thick bodied, thickset; concepts 491,773,779 Ant. lanky, skinny, slender, tall, thin squat [v] lower body by bending knees bow, cower, crouch, hunch, hunker down,… … New thesaurus
