crutch en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈkɹʌt͡ʃ/
- [ˈkʰɹʷʌ̹t͡ʃ]
- (Southern-England) audio
- [ˈkʰɹʷʌ̈t͡ʃ]
Etymology
From Middle English crucche, from Old English cryċċ (“crutch, staff”), from Proto-West Germanic *krukkju, from Proto-Germanic *krukjō (“crutch, staff”), from Proto-Indo-European *grewg- (“wrinkle, bend”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate with Scots curche, crutch (“crutch, stilts”), Dutch kruk (“crutch”), Low German krukke, Krück (“crutch”), German Krücke (“crutch”), Swedish krycka (“crutch”). Latin crucia, crucca, croccia, crocia (“crutch”), and its descendants are ultimately from the Germanic.
Meanings
-
A device to assist in motion as a cane, especially one that provides support under the arm to reduce weight on a leg.
He walked on crutches for a month until the cast was removed from his leg.
Sullen now, with stultified spleen, Mrs Dibble grappled her crutches and levered herself upright after an ungainly struggle.
1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 150:I'll lean upon one crutch, and fight with the other.
c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
-
(figuratively) Something or someone that supports, often used negatively to indicate that it is not needed and causes an unhealthy dependency; a prop.
Alcohol became a crutch to help him through the long nights; eventually it killed him.
Rhyme[…]is […] at best a crutch that lifts the weak alone.
1710, Edmund Smith, A poem on the death of Mr. John Philips:
- A crotch; the area of body where the legs fork from the trunk.
- A form of pommel for a woman's saddle, consisting of a forked rest to hold the leg of the rider.
- A knee, or piece of knee timber.
- A forked stanchion or post; a crotch.
- (slang) An improvised device, usually made from a piece of cardboard, to hold the last end of a joint.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| crutches | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Christ on a crutch · crutchlike · underarm crutch · forearm crutch · crutch cross · crutchless · could eat the crutch from a low flying duck · crutch word
Translations (133)
fr soutien (something that supports) · el πατερίτσα (device to assist in motion as a cane) · sq shtrat (device to assist in motion as a cane) · uz xassa (device to assist in motion as a cane) · ga bata croise (device to assist in motion as a cane) · cy bagl (device to assist in motion as a cane) · sl bergla (something that supports) · uk кости́ль (device to assist in motion as a cane) · km ច្រត់ (device to assist in motion as a cane) · is styrkur (something that supports) · enm crucche (device to assist in motion as a cane) · ar عُكَّازَة (device to assist in motion as a cane) · br bazh-loaek (device to assist in motion as a cane) · es apoyo (something that supports) · ca crossa (device to assist in motion as a cane) · ko 목다리 (device to assist in motion as a cane) · pt muleta (device to assist in motion as a cane) · hy անթացուպ (device to assist in motion as a cane) · sh štȁka (device to assist in motion as a cane) · yue 拐子 (device to assist in motion as a cane) · lt ramentas (device to assist in motion as a cane) · fi kainalosauva (device to assist in motion as a cane) · it gruccia (device to assist in motion as a cane) · ur بیساکھی (device to assist in motion as a cane) · mk патерица (device to assist in motion as a cane) · pl kula (device to assist in motion as a cane) · my ချိုင်းထောက် (device to assist in motion as a cane) · nn krykkje (device to assist in motion as a cane) · uk ко́стур (device to assist in motion as a cane) · ga croisín (device to assist in motion as a cane) · fi tuki (something that supports) · nn krykke (device to assist in motion as a cane) · fr support (something that supports) · mi turupou (device to assist in motion as a cane) · vi nạng (device to assist in motion as a cane) · lmo supòrt (something that supports) · sv krycka (device to assist in motion as a cane) · hu mankó (device to assist in motion as a cane) · be касты́ль (device to assist in motion as a cane) · tg асо (device to assist in motion as a cane) · xal түшүр (device to assist in motion as a cane) · nl kruk (device to assist in motion as a cane) · bg опо́ра (something that supports) · za dwngx (device to assist in motion as a cane) · lmo cròça (device to assist in motion as a cane) · th ไม้ยัน (device to assist in motion as a cane) · es muleta (something that supports) · el δεκανίκι (device to assist in motion as a cane) · uk ми́лиця (device to assist in motion as a cane) · be мы́ліца (device to assist in motion as a cane) · es soporte (something that supports) · ky балдак (device to assist in motion as a cane) · lv kruķis (device to assist in motion as a cane) · non hœkja (device to assist in motion as a cane) · tg таёқ (device to assist in motion as a cane) · da krykke (device to assist in motion as a cane) · de Stütze (something that supports) · bg подста́вка (something that supports) · mn суга таяг (device to assist in motion as a cane) · eo lambastono (device to assist in motion as a cane) · th ไม้ยันรักแร้ (device to assist in motion as a cane) · tl muleta (device to assist in motion as a cane) · mi tokowae (device to assist in motion as a cane) · is stoð (something that supports) · fr béquille (device to assist in motion as a cane) · gl caxata (device to assist in motion as a cane) · he קַב (device to assist in motion as a cane) · et kark (device to assist in motion as a cane) · ckb گۆچان (device to assist in motion as a cane) · uk костуря́ка (device to assist in motion as a cane) · tr koltuk değneği (device to assist in motion as a cane) · mi tiripou (device to assist in motion as a cane) · ru косты́ль (device to assist in motion as a cane) · gl esteo (something that supports) · fo høkja (device to assist in motion as a cane) · sl bergla (device to assist in motion as a cane) · lmo cròçola (device to assist in motion as a cane) · bg па́терица (device to assist in motion as a cane) · yue 拐杖 (device to assist in motion as a cane) · mi tokotoko (device to assist in motion as a cane) · gl borne (something that supports) · cmn 腋杖 (device to assist in motion as a cane) · de Krücke (device to assist in motion as a cane) · ro cârjă (device to assist in motion as a cane) · ga maide croise (device to assist in motion as a cane) · kk балдақ (device to assist in motion as a cane) · it stampella (something that supports) · nap stanfella (device to assist in motion as a cane) · pdt Kjrekj (device to assist in motion as a cane) · ja 松葉杖 (device to assist in motion as a cane) · sh шта̏ка (device to assist in motion as a cane) · lmo stampella (device to assist in motion as a cane) · ar عُكَّاز (device to assist in motion as a cane) · it stampella (device to assist in motion as a cane) · eu makulu (device to assist in motion as a cane) · txb ṣpikiye (device to assist in motion as a cane) · cs berle (device to assist in motion as a cane) · de Krücke (something that supports) · ko 목발 (device to assist in motion as a cane) · mn таяг (device to assist in motion as a cane) · cmn 拐子 (device to assist in motion as a cane) · gl abeanco (something that supports) · id kruk (device to assist in motion as a cane) · sh flop (a piece of cardboard that supports a joint) · arz عكازة (device to assist in motion as a cane) · cy ffon fagl (device to assist in motion as a cane) · hi बैसाखी (device to assist in motion as a cane) · is hækja (device to assist in motion as a cane) · uz qoʻltiq (device to assist in motion as a cane) · br flac'h (device to assist in motion as a cane) · uk ку́ля (device to assist in motion as a cane) · uz tayoq (device to assist in motion as a cane) · az qoltuqağacı (device to assist in motion as a cane) · ka ყავარჯენი (device to assist in motion as a cane) · pt canadiana (device to assist in motion as a cane) · tl saklay (device to assist in motion as a cane) · he קביים \ קַבַּיִם (device to assist in motion as a cane) · lb Krätsch (device to assist in motion as a cane) · es muleta (device to assist in motion as a cane) · th ไม้เท้า (device to assist in motion as a cane) · sk barla (device to assist in motion as a cane) · cmn 拐杖 (device to assist in motion as a cane) · fa عصا (device to assist in motion as a cane) · nb krykke (device to assist in motion as a cane) · tk pişek (device to assist in motion as a cane) · nv tsin bee naʼadáhí (device to assist in motion as a cane) · la adminiculum (something that supports) · ang cryċċ (device to assist in motion as a cane) · enm potent (device to assist in motion as a cane) · be ку́ля (device to assist in motion as a cane) · ota قولتق دگنكی (device to assist in motion as a cane) · lmo stampella (something that supports) · km ឈើច្រត់ (device to assist in motion as a cane)