Crookback
/ˈkruːk.bæk/noun
A person with a hunched or bent back; also used as a nickname for someone deformed or bent-backed.
Did you know?The word is a straightforward English compound, but its power comes from how medieval nicknames turned visible bodies into permanent labels—language as social marking.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
crōc / crōh
“crooked, bent, or twisted”
Old English
OE
bæc
“back of the body”
Middle English
ME
crook-bak
“a bent or hunched back; a person with such a back”
14th–15th Century
English
crookback
“a hunched person; often used as a nickname or insult”
Modern English
English
crookback
“a person with a hunched back; now chiefly historical or literary”