crook-backed
Definition
- Adjective:
- Having a hunched or curved back: "crook-backed" describes a person or animal whose spine is abnormally curved, resulting in a hunched or stooped posture.
Usage Examples
- (He had a hunched back due to hard work.)
- (The witch had a curved spine.)
- (The cat had a hunched back.)
Advanced Usage
"crook-backed" as a descriptive term in literature: often used to evoke pity, age, or deformity in characters.
- The crook-backed beggar sat by the roadside, his spine twisted with age. (The beggar’s curved back emphasised his frailty.)
"crook-backed" in historical or medical contexts: refers specifically to kyphosis, a spinal condition.
- The physician noted that the patient was crook-backed due to osteoporosis. (The patient had a curved spine caused by bone loss.)
Variants and Related Words
Crook (n): a bend or curve; also, a dishonest person.
- The shepherd’s crook helped him guide the sheep. (A curved staff.)
Hunchback (n): a person with a hunched back (more common synonym).
- The hunchback of Notre Dame is a famous character. (A person with a severely curved spine.)
Crooked (adj): bent or twisted; not straight.
- The road was crooked and winding. (It had many curves.)
Synonyms
- Hunchbacked: having a humped back.
- Bent: curved or stooped, especially from age.
- Kyphotic: relating to abnormal curvature of the upper spine (medical term).
Related Idioms
"As crook-backed as a camel": a simile meaning extremely hunched.
- After years of carrying heavy loads, he was as crook-backed as a camel. (His back was severely curved.)
"A crook-backed shadow": a poetic phrase for a hunched silhouette.
- The crook-backed shadow of the old oak tree stretched across the field. (The tree’s bent shape resembled a hunched figure.)