Main Entry:

¹squat

Pronunciation:

\ˈskwät\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

squat·ted; squat·ting

Etymology:

Middle English squatten to crush, crouch in hiding, from Middle French (Picard dialect) esquatir, escuater, from Old French es- ex- + quatir to hide, from Vulgar Latin *coactire to squeeze, alteration of Latin coactare to compel — more at cache

Date:

15th century

transitive verb 1 : to cause (oneself) to crouch or sit on the ground 2 : to occupy as a squatter <squat in an abandoned building> intransitive verb 1 : to crouch close to the ground as if to escape observation <a hare squatting in the grass> 2 : to assume or maintain a position in which the body is supported on the feet and the knees are bent so that the buttocks rest on or near the heels 3 : to be or become a squatter