hunchback

American  

[huhnch-bak] / ˈhʌntʃˌbæk /

noun

1. a person whose back is humped in a convex position because of abnormal spinal curvature.

2. humpback.

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hunchback British  

/ ˈhʌntʃˌbæk /

noun

1. a person having an abnormal convex curvature of the thoracic spine

2. such a curvature

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Other Word Forms

• hunchbacked adjective

Etymology

Origin of hunchback

First recorded in 1705–15; back formation from hunchbacked

Example Sentences

Though mean-spirited, the jester Rigoletto — Verdi’s hapless, vengeful hunchback — wins our hearts as the outsider whom a heartless world so often abuses.

From Los Angeles Times

He saw the gloriously skewed al-Hadba minaret, known as the "hunchback", which had been emblematic of Mosul for hundreds of years, in ruins.

From BBC

“The courtroom sketch artist hates him. I mean, absolutely, she turned him into the hunchback of ‘Bloatra Dame.’

From New York Times

This leads into an aspect that I want to discuss, which others have pointed out: Richard III is typically played by someone who is mimicking a hunchback or portraying scoliosis.

From Salon

During the attempt, though, the pope asks Quasi to kill the king, leaving the hunchback in a bind.

From New York Times