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Cower

//ˈkaʊɚ// verb

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To crouch or cringe, or to avoid or shy away from something, in fear. intransitive

    "He'd be useless in war. He'd just cower in his bunker until the enemy came in and shot him, or until the war was over."

  2. 2
    To cherish with care. obsolete, transitive
  3. 3
    show submission or fear wordnet
  4. 4
    To crouch in general. archaic, intransitive

    "Some sterner virtues o’er the mountain’s breast May sit, like falcons, cowering on the nest"

  5. 5
    crouch or curl up wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    To cause to cower; to frighten into submission. transitive

    "This done, their doubts will vanish, and they will stand confronted by an object lesson which must have the effect either to arouse them to a determination to banish despotism from the land, or cower them into submission and servitude."

  2. 7
    To be a coward; to hide away or refuse to face opposition due to fear. figuratively, intransitive

Etymology

From Middle English couren, cowre, from Middle Low German kûren (“to lie in wait; linger”) or from North Germanic (Icelandic kúra (“to doze”)); according to Pokorny, all are ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to curve, bend”), see also Proto-Germanic *kuddô (“shell, pod”). Cognate with German kauern (“to squat”), Dutch koeren (“to keep watch (in a cowered position)”), Serbo-Croatian kutriti (“to lie in a bent position”), Swedish kura (“huddle, cower”). Unrelated to coward, which is of Latin origin.

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