Slouch
/slaʊtʃ/noun
To stand, walk, or sit with a drooping, bent posture; also, a person who moves or acts lazily or awkwardly.
Did you know?The word entered English in the 16th century as a dialectal form tied to the idea of hanging or drooping, and it later became part of the eerie phrase “slouch hat,” where the brim falls downward like a shadow.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*sluk- / *slukh-
“A likely Germanic base with the sense of hanging loose, drooping, or slackening.”
Middle English
English
slouchen / slouchen
“To move or stand in a drooping, lazy, or awkward way.”
16th Century
English
slouch
“A drooping posture or a slovenly, hanging-down manner of movement.”
18th Century
English
slouch hat
“A hat with a brim turned down or hanging loosely, especially in military and frontier use.”
Modern English
English
slouch
“To sit, stand, or move with a bent, drooping posture.”