crutch

crutch
—crutchlike, adj.
/kruch/, n.
1. a staff or support to assist a lame or infirm person in walking, now usually with a crosspiece at one end to fit under the armpit.
2. any of various devices resembling this in shape or use.
3. anything that serves as a temporary and often inappropriate support, supplement, or substitute; prop: He uses liquor as a psychological crutch.
4. a forked support or part.
5. the crotch of the human body.
6. Also, crotch. Naut.
a. a forked support for a boom or spar when not in use.
b. a forked support for an oar on the sides or stern of a rowboat.
c. a horizontal knee reinforcing the stern frames of a wooden vessel.
7. a forked device on the left side of a sidesaddle, consisting of two hooks, one of which is open at the bottom and serves to clamp the left knee and the other of which is open at the top and serves to support the right knee.
v.t.
8. to support on crutches; prop; sustain.
[bef. 900; ME crucche, OE cryce (obl. crycce); c. Norw krykkja, Dan krykke, G Krücke, D kruk. See CROOK1]

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Crutch — (kr[u^]ch; 224), n.; pl. {Crutches} ( [e^]z). [OE. crucche, AS. crycc, cricc; akin to D. kruk, G. kr[ u]cke, Dan. krykke, Sw. krycka, and to E. crook. See {Crook}, and cf. {Cricket} a low stool.] 1. A staff with a crosspiece at the head, to be… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • crutch — O.E. crycce crutch, staff, from P.Gmc. *krukjo (Cf. O.S. krukka, M.Du. crucke, O.H.G. krucka, Ger. Kröcke crutch, related to O.N. krokr hook; see CROOK (Cf. crook)). Figurative sense is first recorded c.1600. As a verb, from 1640s. It. gruccia …   Etymology dictionary

  • Crutch — Crutch, v. t. To support on crutches; to prop up. [R.] [1913 Webster] Two fools that crutch their feeble sense on verse. Dryden. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • crutch — [kruch] n. [ME crucche < OE crycce, staff, akin to Ger krücke < IE base * ger : see CRADLE] 1. any of various devices used, often in pairs, by lame people as an aid in walking; typically, a staff with a hand grip and a padded crosspiece on… …   English World dictionary

  • crutch — [krʌtʃ] n [: Old English; Origin: crycc] 1.) [usually plural] one of a pair of long sticks that you put under your arms to help you walk when you have hurt your leg on crutches (=use crutches) ▪ I was on crutches for three months after the… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • crutch — crutch·er; crutch; …   English syllables

  • crutch — index mainstay Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • crutch — [ krʌtʃ ] noun 1. ) count a stick that fits under your arm so that you can lean on it and walk when your leg or foot is injured: a pair of crutches be on crutches: I was on crutches for six weeks. 2. ) singular someone or something that you… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • crutch — ► NOUN 1) a long stick with a crosspiece at the top, used as a support by a lame person. 2) something used for support or reassurance. 3) the crotch of the body or a garment. ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • Crutch — For other uses, see Crutch (disambiguation). Using underarm crutches A typical forearm crutch Crutches are mobility aids used to counter a mobility impairment or an injury that limits wa …   Wikipedia

  • Crutch — A wooden or metal vertical prop that helps support a disabled person while he or she is walking. Crutches extend from the walking surface to either the armpit or the arm. A typical hardwood armpit crutch has a 20 inch length of 1 x1 wood at the… …   Medical dictionary

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