# haunch
## English
### Alternative forms

* haunce, haunse
* (architecture) hanch, hance, hanse

### Etymology

From Middle English haunche, hanche, from Old French hanche, hance, anche (compare French hanche, Italian anca), from a Germanic source, probably Frankish *ankijā, from Proto-Germanic *ankijǭ (“joint; ankle”), from Proto-Indo-European *ang- (“joint; lith”). Cognate with Old High German ancha, encha, einka (“the leg; joint, bend”) (compare Old High German anchila, enchila (“ankle”), German Hanke (“haunch”), West Frisian hancke (“haunch”). More at ankle.

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /hɔːnt͡ʃ/, /hɒnt͡ʃ/
* (some accents) IPA: /hɑːnt͡ʃ/
* (US) IPA: /hɔnt͡ʃ/, /hɑnt͡ʃ/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Audio (General Australian):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɔːntʃ, -ɑːnt͡ʃ

### Noun

haunch (plural haunches)
* (anatomy) The area encompassing the upper thigh, hip and buttocks on one side of a human, primate, or quadruped animal, especially one that can sit on its hindquarters.
** 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part IV (A Voyage to the Houyhnhnms):But I had no time to pursue these reflections; for the gray horse came to the door, and made me a sign to follow him into the third room where I saw a very comely mare, together with a colt and foal, sitting on their haunches upon mats of straw, not unartfully made, and perfectly neat and clean.
** 1855 November 10, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “chapter III”, in The Song of Hiawatha, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC:And the rabbit from his path-way Leaped aside, and at a distance Sat erect upon his haunches.
** 1916, Wilfred Owen, The Wrestlers:While Heracles, - the thews and cordage of his thighs Straitened and strained beyond the utmost stretch From quivering heel to haunch like sweating hawsers.
** c. 1918, Carl Sandburg, Fog:The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.
** 2018 July 15, Jonathan Jurejko, “Novak Djokovic Wins Fourth Wimbledon by Beating Kevin Anderson”, in BBC Sport‎, archived from the original on 14 February 2019:He [Novak Djokovic] dropped to his haunches just inside the baseline as Centre Court rose to acclaim the champion, hugging South African [Kevin] Anderson at the net before skipping over towards his box and celebrating wildly in front of his coaching team and wife Jelena.
* The loin and leg of a quadruped, especially when used as food.
** 1895 November, Rudyard Kipling, “The Law of the Jungle”, in The Second Jungle Book, London, New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 25:Now these are the Laws of the Jungle, and many and mighty are they; / But the head and the hoof of the Law and the haunch and the hump is—Obey!
** a. 1892, John Greenleaf Whittier, The Garrison of Cape Ann:On the rough-hewn oaken table the venison haunch was shared.
* (architecture) A squat vertical support structure.
* (dialect) A jerked underhand throw.

#### Derived terms

* haunch bone
* haunch holder
* haunchy

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Verb

haunch (third-person singular simple present haunches, present participle haunching, simple past and past participle haunched)
* (transitive, architecture) To provide with a haunch or supporting structure.
* (transitive, dialect) To throw with an underhand movement.