haunch

[ hawnch, hahnch ]
See synonyms for: haunchhaunches on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the hip.

  2. the fleshy part of the body about the hip.

  1. a hindquarter of an animal.

  2. the leg and loin of an animal, used for food.

  3. Architecture.

    • either side of an arch, extending from the vertex or crown to the impost.

    • the part of a beam projecting below a floor or roof slab.

Origin of haunch

1
1150–1200; Middle English haunche<Old French hanche<Germanic; compare Middle Dutch hanke haunch, hip, German Hanke haunch

Other words from haunch

  • haunched, adjective
  • haunchless, adjective

Words that may be confused with haunch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use haunch in a sentence

  • But Frederick seized the horse by the bridle, and with a violent jerk forced the animal back upon its haunches.

  • Charley's horse fell back upon his haunches;—there was giant might in the hand that reined him;—an inch nearer, and she was lost!

    Alone | Marion Harland

British Dictionary definitions for haunch

haunch

/ (hɔːntʃ) /


noun
  1. the human hip or fleshy hindquarter of an animal, esp a horse or similar quadruped

  2. the leg and loin of an animal, used for food: a haunch of venison

  1. Also called: hance architect the part of an arch between the impost and the apex

Origin of haunch

1
C13: from Old French hanche; related to Spanish, Italian anca, of Germanic origin; compare Low German hanke

Derived forms of haunch

  • haunched, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012