squinch

Meanings

Plural: squinches

Noun

a small arch built across the interior angle of two walls (usually to support a spire)
A structure constructed between two adjacent walls to aid in the transition from a polygonal to a circular structure, as when a dome is constructed on top of a square room.

Verb

crouch down
draw back, as with fear or pain
cross one's eyes as if in strabismus
To scrunch up (one's face, etc.).

Origin / Etymology

Alteration of earlier scunch (“back part of the side of an opening”), short for scuncheon.

Synonyms

cringe, flinch, funk, quail, recoil, shrink, squint, wince

Scrabble Score: 21

squinch is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
squinch is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
squinch is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 23

squinch is a valid Words With Friends word