squat
(skwŏt)
[Middle English squatten, from Old French esquatir, to crush, es-, intensive pref. (from Latin ex-; see ex–), + quatir, to press flat (from Vulgar Latin* coāctīre) (from Latin coāctus past participle of cōgere, to compress) (co-, co-) (agere, to drive; see ag-).]
verb: squat·ted, squat·ting, squats.
intransitive verb
- To sit in a crouching position with knees bent and the buttocks on or near the heels.
- To crouch down, as an animal does.
- To settle on unoccupied land without legal claim.
- To occupy a given piece of public land in order to acquire title to it.
transitive verb
- To put (oneself) into a crouching posture.
- To occupy as a squatter.
adjective: squat·ter, squat·test.
- Short and thick; low and broad.
- Crouched in a squatting position.
noun
- The act of squatting.
- A squatting or crouching posture.
- Sports A lift or a weightlifting exercise in which one squats and stands while holding a weighted barbell supported by the back of the shoulders.
- The place occupied by a squatter.
- The lair of an animal such as a hare.
- Slang A small or worthless amount; diddlysquat.
derivatives
- squat́ter
- noun