Meanings
plural hunchbacks
- One who is stooped or hunched over.
- A deformed upper spinal column in the shape of a hump in the back.
- derogatoryA person with kyphosis, a spinal deformity that causes a hunched over appearance.
The Legend of Knock-Grafton tells how a little hunchback, while sitting to rest at nightfall at the side of a Rath or Moat, heard the fairies within singing over and over again, Da Luan, Da Mart! (i.e., Monday, Tuesday!) and added, weary with the monotony, Agus da Cadin! (i.e., and Wednesday!).
1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 364
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan abnormal backward curve to the vertebral column
nouna person whose back is hunched because of abnormal curvature of the upper spine
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Back-formation from hunchbacked.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech hrbáč
- hrbáčderogatory: person with kyphosis
Finnish koukkuselkä, kyttyräselkä
- koukkuselkäderogatory: person with kyphosis
- kyttyräselkäderogatory: person with kyphosis
French bossu, bossue
- bossuderogatory: person with kyphosis
- bossuederogatory: person with kyphosis
German Buckliger, Bucklige
- Buckligerderogatory: person with kyphosis
- Buckligederogatory: person with kyphosis
Greek καμπούρης, καμπούρα
- καμπούρης (kampoúris)derogatory: person with kyphosis
- καμπούρα (kampoúra)derogatory: person with kyphosis
Hungarian púpos
- púposderogatory: person with kyphosis
Irish cruitíneach
- cruitíneachderogatory: person with kyphosis
Māori piari
- piariderogatory: person with kyphosis
Polish garbaty, garbata
- garbatyone who is stooped or hunched over
- garbataone who is stooped or hunched over
- garbdeformed upper spinal column
- garbusderogatory: person with kyphosis
- garbuskaderogatory: person with kyphosis
Portuguese corcunda
- corcundaderogatory: person with kyphosis
Tagalog kuba
- kubaderogatory: person with kyphosis
Turkish kambur
- kamburderogatory: person with kyphosis
Cite this entry
hunchback. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hunchback
“hunchback.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hunchback. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hunchback,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hunchback.
Source: hunchback on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.