crutch

[kruhch] /krʌtʃ/
noun
1.
a staff or support to assist a lame or infirm person in walking, now usually with a crosspiece at one end to fit under the armpit.
2.
any of various devices resembling this in shape or use.
3.
anything that serves as a temporary and often inappropriate support, supplement, or substitute; prop:
He uses liquor as a psychological crutch.
4.
a forked support or part.
5.
the crotch of the human body.
6.
Also, crotch. Nautical.
  1. a forked support for a boom or spar when not in use.
  2. a forked support for an oar on the sides or stern of a rowboat.
  3. a horizontal knee reinforcing the stern frames of a wooden vessel.
7.
a forked device on the left side of a sidesaddle, consisting of two hooks, one of which is open at the bottom and serves to clamp the left knee and the other of which is open at the top and serves to support the right knee.
verb (used with object)
8.
to support on crutches; prop; sustain.
Origin
before 900; Middle English crucche, Old English cryce (oblique crycce); cognate with Norwegian krykkja, Danish krykke, German Krücke, Dutch kruk. See crook1
Related forms
crutchlike, adjective
Examples from the web for crutch
  • To use that mystical, totally unsupported belief as a means of dealing with life's problems is a crutch.
  • But hold that racism card close at hand because you'll flash it as your usual crutch and dodge from accountability.
  • They are not a permanent crutch that perpetuates an inherently uneconomic activity, but a temporary measure.
  • All it says to them is that you and the likes of you believe that they need a crutch to compete.
  • She had a bladder problem that left her incontinent, and she had to walk with a crutch because she had a weak leg.
  • Maybe when you go home that night you skip the brownie or cookies you've been using as an emotional crutch.
  • Government is supposed to be a crutch for the private sector, but it's becoming a hurdle for national employment.
  • Or, more generously, as an affliction or a disability or a crutch.
  • And those who are favoured by history can deplore injustice and sympathise with suffering without the crutch of national pride.
  • They say payday lenders are predatory, financially knee-capping their customers without providing a crutch.
British Dictionary definitions for crutch

crutch

/krʌtʃ/
noun
1.
a long staff of wood or metal having a rest for the armpit, for supporting the weight of the body
2.
something that supports or sustains: a crutch to the economy
3.
(Brit) another word for crotch (sense 1)
4.
(nautical)
  1. a forked support for a boom or oar, etc
  2. a brace for reinforcing the frames at the stern of a wooden vessel
verb
5.
(transitive) to support or sustain (a person or thing) as with a crutch
6.
(Austral & NZ, slang) to clip (wool) from the hindquarters of a sheep
Word Origin
Old English crycc; related to Old High German krucka, Old Norse krykkja; see crosier, crook
Word Origin and History for crutch
n.

Old English crycce "crutch, staff," from Proto-Germanic *krukjo (cf. Old Saxon krukka, Middle Dutch crucke, Old High German krucka, German Kröcke "crutch," related to Old Norse krokr "hook;" see crook). Figurative sense is first recorded c.1600. As a verb, from 1640s. Italian gruccia "crutch," crocco "hook" are Germanic loan-words.

crutch in Medicine

crutch (krŭch)
n.
A staff or support used by a physically injured or disabled individual as an aid in walking, usually designed to fit under the armpit and often used in pairs.

Slang definitions & phrases for crutch

crutch

noun
  1. A container for a hypodermic needle (1960+ Narcotics)
  2. roach clip (1960s+ Narcotics)