squinch

¹ American  

[skwinch] / skwɪntʃ /

noun

Architecture.

1. a small arch, corbeling, or the like, built across the interior angle between two walls, as in a square tower for supporting the side of a superimposed octagonal spire.

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squinch ² American  

[skwinch] / skwɪntʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to contort (the features) or squint.

2. to squeeze together or contract.

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verb (used without object)

1. to squeeze together or crouch down, as to fit into a smaller space.

squinch British  

/ skwɪntʃ /

noun

1. Also called: squinch arch.  a small arch, corbelling, etc, across an internal corner of a tower, used to support a superstructure such as a spire

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Etymology

Origin of squinch¹

1490–1500; variant of scunch, short for scuncheon, Middle English sconch ( e ) on < Middle French escoinson, esconchon; see sconcheon

Origin of squinch²

1830–40; origin uncertain; cf. squint

Example Sentences

He completely reinvented those songs and did not try to squinch them into too narrow a story.

From New York Times • Aug. 29, 2018

This makes your mouth squinch up, it makes you purse your lips like Kim Kardashian posing for a selfie.

From The Guardian • Oct. 15, 2015

When Maroney actually visited the White House, she and President Obama posed together in her trademark squinch, showing she was in fact a good sport.

From Slate • Feb. 22, 2014

When your skin is tight like that, you can't squinch your eye, which means more of your eye is on the ball.

From Time Magazine Archive

He will smile one minute and frown the next, squinch his nose, tilt his head left and then right, scrunch his mouth.

From "The Unfinished Angel" by Sharon Creech

Related Words

• gleam
• glimmer
• twinkle