lurch

lurch · noun, verb¹

1. French · borrowed fromlâcher“to let go”
2. English todaylurch

Originally a nautical term, found in lee-larches (“the sudden and violent rolls of a ship to the leeward in high seas”), of unknown origin. Possibly the same as lurch (“to move stealthily, evade by stooping”) (see below), or from French lâcher (“to let go”).

lurch · verb²

1. Latin · derived fromlurcō“eat greedily, guzzle”
2. Old French · derived from*lurcher
3. Middle English · inherited from*lurchen
4. English todaylurch

From Middle English *lurchen (recorded only in Middle English lurcare, lurcard (“glutton”)), from Old French *lurcher, from Latin lurcō (“eat greedily, guzzle”), of uncertain origin. Compare Middle High German slurken (“to slurp”) (whence German schlurken).

lurch · verb, noun³

1. Middle English · derived fromlurken“to lurk”
2. Middle English · inherited fromlorchen
3. English todaylurch

From Middle English lorchen, variant of Middle English lurken (“to lurk”). More at lurk.

lurch · noun, verb⁴

1. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*lort“left; left-handed; crooked; bent; warped; underhanded; deceitful; limping”
2. Old French · derived fromlourche“deceived, embarrassed; also the name of a game”
3. Middle English · inherited from*lurche
4. English todaylurch

From Middle English *lurche (implied in derivative lurching), from Old French lourche (“deceived, embarrassed; also the name of a game”), from Proto-West Germanic *lort (“left; left-handed; crooked; bent; warped; underhanded; deceitful; limping”). Cognate to English lirt.

Words from the same roots