cower
Part of speech: verb
Morphological type: simple
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.
Inflected forms:
form: cowers
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: cowering
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: cowered
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: cowered
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: To crouch or cringe, or to avoid or shy away from something, in fear.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: 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.
Our dame sits cowering o'er a kitchen fire.
Carrot ran past him to get to the barrel first, and peered down at the cowering Catweazle. “No rats, Dad,” he said. “What's that terrible pong, then?” said Mr Bennett, sniffing.
gloss: To crouch in general.
pos: verb
tags: archaic
intransitive
examples: Some sterner virtues o’er the mountain’s breast
May sit, like falcons, cowering on the nest
The mother bird had mov’d not,
But cowering o’er her nestlings,
Sate confident and fearless,
And watch’d the wonted guest.
gloss: To cause to cower; to frighten into submission.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: 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.
My spirit will cower them and make them wish they had never risen up against me.
A vicious Mafia threat intended to cower him—but the chief doesn't cower.
gloss: To be a coward; to hide away or refuse to face opposition due to fear.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
Related words: coward
cowardice
Derived words: cowerer
coweringly
uncowering
Translations:
lang: Bulgarian
word: свивам се
roman: svivam se
lang: Bulgarian
word: треперя
roman: treperja
lang: Catalan
word: encongir-se
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 抖縮 /抖缩
roman: dǒusuō
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 退縮 /退缩
roman: tuìsuō
lang: Czech
word: krčit se
lang: Dutch
word: in elkaar duiken
lang: Dutch
word: ineenkrimpen
lang: Finnish
word: kyyristellä
lang: Finnish
word: kyyristyä
lang: Finnish
word: karttaa
lang: Finnish
word: kartella
lang: French
word: se recroqueviller
lang: French
word: se tapir
lang: German
word: kauern
lang: German
word: ängstlich hocken
lang: Ancient Greek
word: καταπτήσσω
roman: kataptḗssō
lang: Irish
word: cúb
lang: Irish
word: creathnaigh
lang: Japanese
word: 踞る
roman: uzukumaru
lang: Japanese
word: 畏怖する
roman: ifu suru
lang: Māori
word: whakamaoko
lang: Māori
word: hūiki
lang: Māori
word: whakaririka
lang: Middle English
word: couren
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: krype sammen
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: krympe seg
lang: Norwegian Nynorsk
word: krype saman
lang: Norwegian Nynorsk
word: krympe seg
lang: Occitan
word: s’amatar
lang: Occitan
word: s’acaptar
lang: Occitan
word: s’aglatir
lang: Polish
word: kulić się
lang: Polish
word: skulać się
lang: Polish
word: skulić się
lang: Polish
word: przycupnąć
lang: Portuguese
word: encolher
lang: Russian
word: съёживаться
roman: sʺjóživatʹsja
lang: Russian
word: съёжиться
roman: sʺjóžitʹsja
lang: Russian
word: сжима́ться
roman: sžimátʹsja
lang: Russian
word: сжа́ться
roman: sžátʹsja
lang: Russian
word: забива́ться
roman: zabivátʹsja
lang: Russian
word: заби́ться
roman: zabítʹsja
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: skutriti se
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: kutriti
lang: Spanish
word: encogerse
lang: Spanish
word: amilanarse
lang: Swedish
word: kura
lang: Swedish
word: krypa ihop
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: پوصمق
roman: pusmak