Added 4 October 2026

crutch

/ˈkɹʌt͡ʃ/ noun

In Latin: adminiculum Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about crutch at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A device to assist in motion as a cane, especially one that provides support under the arm to reduce weight on a leg.
He walked on crutches for a month until the cast was removed from his leg.
Something or someone that supports, often used negatively to indicate that it is not needed and causes an unhealthy dependency; a prop.
Alcohol became a crutch to help him through the long nights; eventually it killed him.
A form of pommel for a woman's saddle, consisting of a forked rest to hold the leg of the rider.

From Middle English crucche, from Old English cryċċ (“crutch, staff”), from Proto-West Germanic *krukkju, from Proto-Germanic *krukjō (“crutch, staff”), from Proto-Indo-European *grewg- (“wrinkle, bend”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate with Scots curche, crutch (“crutch, stilts”), Dutch kruk (“crutch”), Low German krukke, Krück (“crutch”), German Krücke (“crutch”), Swedish krycka (“crutch”). Latin crucia, crucca, croccia, crocia (“crutch”), and its descendants are ultimately from the Germanic.