The word agazapado comes from the verb agazapar, which means to be hidden, stalking or in alert mode. He who is crouching is in a place hidden from others, waiting for the right moment to go out and act.
Being crouched also refers to the act of hunting and surprising, therefore it is a term generally used in the context of the animal world. A wild predator instinctively hides and stalks its prey until the precise moment to attack.
Crouching child. Source: pixabay.com.
Although human instincts are not as developed as those of animals, it is possible for a person or subject to be crouching. The purpose or objective of this action is only not to be seen and later surprise.
Meaning and origin
In general terms, crouched comes from the pronominal verb “agazapar”, and this means to be hidden from something or someone, to take refuge and hide with the intention of protecting oneself. But in colloquial use the verb agazapar can also mean to hold, subdue, catch or catch a person or something in specific.
On the other hand, and as with a large number of words, crouched is a word that can change its meaning depending on the geographical location.
For example, in Costa Rica the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) suggests that crouched can be used as an adjective, synonymous with a hypocritical person. That is to say, in this region this word refers to a person who appears to be or feel something that is truly not true.
Etymology
The word crouched has its origin in Latin. This word is composed of the prefix a from the Latin ad which means closeness; from the noun or name gazapo (a word that has evolved over the years and has gone from being a “mistake” to referring to a “baby rabbit”) and the suffix or inflectional morpheme ar, common in infinitive verbs.
Synonyms
This word is related to the following words:
- Crouched down.
- Inclined.
- Down on my knees.
- Hidden.
- Protected.
- Crushed.
- Squatting.
Antonyms
The opposite of being crouched can be a person who is performing an action that makes him noticeable in a place and that in no way can be hidden. Among these opposite words or antonyms are:
- Erect.
- Stopped.
- High.
- Discovered.
Related famous phrases
The word crouched can be used to send different types of messages and is often used in texts as a literary device. Below are some of the times writers have made use of the word crouched:
- “To embrace endlessly or with a violence that separated them at the same moment, as if the distance grew bitter from desire. And always below, a crouched silence where the enemy time beat ”. Julio Cortazar
- "And there I remained immobile, crouched in the smell of plastic of the bolts, because that was when Fear found me, when it really found me, for the first time." William Gibson
Examples of its use
- The man was crouched under the table, waiting for the thief to leave.
- The lion's strategy is to stay crouched and then surprise its prey.
- The boy was crouched behind the curtain, trying not to move.
- Crouching in the meadow, nobody managed to see José.
- The trick is to stay crouched until everyone leaves.
- I was crouched under the covers until the pain passed.
- Despite being well crouched, they managed to see the boy's shoes.
- Police believed the suspect was crouching somewhere in the woods.
- There was a dog crouched from the rain under a car.
References
- Meaning and definition of crouch. (2019). (N / A): Define. Recovered from: definiciona.com.
- Definition of crouching. (2019). (N / A): Concept and definition. Recovered from: conceptydefinition.de.
- Grab. (2019). Spain: dictionary of the Spanish language. Recovered from: dle.rae.es.
- Etymology of gazapo. (2019). Chile: Dechile. Recovered from: etimologias.dechile.net.
- Synonyms and antonyms of agazapar. (2005). (N / A): Spanish. Recovered from: wordreference.com.