different between crotch vs cratch

English

Etymology

From Middle English crotche, croche (also in unassilibated form croke, "a shepherd's crook"), from Old French croche (“shepherd's crook”); merged with Middle English cruche, crucche (“a crutch”). More at crook, crutch.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /k??t?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /k??t?/
• Rhymes: -?t?

Noun

crotch (plural crotches)

1. The area where something forks or branches, a ramification takes place.

2. The ventral area (very bottom) of the human body between where the legs fork from the torso, in the area of the genitals and anus.

3. (slang, euphemistic) Either the male or female genitalia.

4. (billiards) In the three-ball carom game, a small space at each corner of the table.
5. (typography) The open counter (negative space) formed by two downward strokes that meet at an internal acute angle, potentially above a vertex, as in the letters "V" and "Y".

Derived terms

• crotch area
• crotch seam
• split crotch
• finger crotch

Translations

Verb

crotch (third-person singular simple present crotches, present participle crotching, simple past and past participle crotched)

1. (transitive) To provide with a crotch; to give the form of a crotch to.

2. (transitive, logging, historical, Western US) To notch (a log) on opposite sides to provide a grip for the dogs that will haul it.

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?æt?/

Etymology 1

From Middle English cratchen, cracchen (“to scratch”), alteration of *cratsen (“to scratch”), from Old Norse *kratsa or Middle Low German kratsen, krassen (“to scratch”), both ultimately from Old High German krazz?n, craz?n (“to scratch”), from Proto-Germanic *kratt?n? (“to scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *gred-, *grod- (“to scratch, scrape”). Cognate with Icelandic krota (“to engrave”). Compare also Icelandic krassa (“to scrawl”), Danish kradse (“to scratch, scrape, claw”), Swedish kratsa (“to scratch”), Dutch kratsen (“to scratch”), German kratzen (“to scratch”).

Verb

cratch (third-person singular simple present cratches, present participle cratching, simple past and past participle cratched)

1. (obsolete) To scratch.

References

• An historical dictionary

Etymology 2

From Middle English cratche, cracche, crecche (“crib”), from Old French creche (“crib, manger”), from Frankish *krippja (“crib”), from Proto-Germanic *kribj?. More at creche, crib.

Noun

cratch (plural cratches)

1. (obsolete) A grated crib or manger.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, A Hymne of Heavenly Love

     Begin from first where He encradled was, / In simple cratch, wrapt in a wad of hay.

2. (nautical) The vertical planks at the forward end of the hold of a traditional English narrowboat which constrain the cargo and support the top plank or walkway.

Derived terms

• cratch cradle

Etymology 3

Noun

cratch (plural cratches)

1. A swelling on a horse's pastern, under the fetlock.