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hunchback

hunchback

18 7.2
A person with a rounded upper back or the health problem that causes it
  • noun
  • /ˈhʌnʧˌbæk/
  • Slur
translation icon : jorobado
  • Mendoza, the character played by Don Juan, is physically deformed—a hunchback, like the historical Alarcon.
  • dwarves and hunchbacks
  • little hunchback

Examples

  • He's a hunchback.

  • I do not want to be a hunchback like my father.

  • Of course... he had a hunchback.

  • - He was dressed as a hunchback.

  • Out steps Max, a small hunchback in a black chauffeur's uniform.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Three children were buried apart, as were four hunchbacks, their bodies bent, perhaps, by the same disease.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Well, with his crab-like posture, K'anal'orb did sort of look like a hunchback.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The hunchback struggled to walk upright due to his rounded back.

  • When she saw the hunchback in the park, she felt a mix of curiosity and compassion.

  • He worked hard to make life easier for the hunchback, who faced many challenges.

Synonyms

kyphosis
vshunchback
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A strong forward bend of the upper spine that makes the back rounded

is the general term for a person or condition with a rounded back
humpback
vshunchback
  • Archaic
1 7.5

A curve in the upper spine that makes the back bend and stick out

is the broader label for any person or condition with a rounded back
scoliotic
vshunchback
9.3

A person who has a spine that curves to the side

is about a rounded back from abnormal curvature rather than a sideways bend

Surface Forms

hunchback singular
hunchbacks plural

Morphology

hunchback = hunch + back (semi-transparent) = hunch + back

While 'hunch' and 'back' are clear components, the specific medical condition is not a straightforward derivation.

Etymology

Hunchback comes from the two parts hunch, which means 'hump' or 'lump', and back, so it originally named someone with a hump on their back. That's why hunchback means a person with a rounded or bent spine.