hunker
hunker Lexical Profile
hunker Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To settle in, take shelter, or apply oneself seriously for a sustained period (usually followed by "down").
"With the winter storm approaching, the family decided to hunker down at home for the weekend."
To squat or crouch low to the ground, with the knees bent and weight resting on the heels (often followed by "down").
"He had to hunker down beside the campfire to shield his hands from the chilly evening breeze."
• noun
Scottish A squatting or crouching position, or the haunches (usually used in the plural, as in "on one's hunkers").
"The gardener sat back on his hunkers to inspect the newly sprouted seedlings."
Word Nuance & Usage
In modern usage, the verb "hunker" is almost always followed by "down" (as in "hunker down"), whether referring to physically crouching or settling into a safe place for an extended time. The noun form is used almost exclusively in the plural ("hunkers"), especially in the Scottish and Irish phrase "on one's hunkers."
• Rhymes for hunker
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in 18th-century Scots, the word is likely of Germanic origin, related to Old Norse "huka" (to squat) and Middle Low German "hukeren" (to crouch).