Crotch
/krɒtʃ/noun
The part of the body where the thighs join the torso, or a fork in a tree or road.
Did you know?English got crotch from a word for a hooked fork or staff, and the same root lives on in words like crook and crutch — all tied to the idea of bending, hooking, and branching.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sker-
“to bend, turn, or curve”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kruk- / *krukō-
“a bent or hooked form”
Old English
English
crucc
“a hook, bent staff, or forked support”
Middle English
English
crotch / crotche
“a forked branch or parting”
Modern English
English
crotch
“the forked area where two parts divide, especially between the thighs”