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crutch (krŭch)
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n.
1. A support used by an injured or disabled person, often in pairs, as an aid to walking, having a vertical shaft that is sometimes forked, a horizontal grip for the hand, and a crosspiece that is positioned under the armpit or a cuff that wraps around the forearm.
2. Something on which one depends, often excessively: a mnemonic crutch.
3. A forked support or part.
4. A forked leg rest on a sidesaddle.
5. Archaic The crotch of a person or animal.
v. crutched, crutch·ing, crutch·es
v.intr.
To move using a crutch or crutches.
v.tr.
To support on a crutch or crutches.
[Middle English crucche, from Old English crycc.]
(click for a larger image)
crutch
(click for a larger image)
crutch
top: axillary crutches
bottom: forearm crutches
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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