Added 9 October 2026
squat
/skwɒt/ adjective
In Latin: conquiniscō Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about squat at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
noun
- A position assumed by bending deeply at the knees while resting on one's feet.
- Any of various modes of callisthenic exercises performed by moving the body and bending at least one knee. A specific exercise in weightlifting performed by bending deeply at the knees and then rising (back squat), especially with a barbell resting across the shoulders (barbell back squat).
- A specific exercise in weightlifting performed by bending deeply at the knees and then rising (back squat), especially with a barbell resting across the shoulders (barbell back squat).
verb
- To bend deeply at the knees while resting on one's feet.
-
To perform one or more callisthenic exercises by moving the body and bending at least one knee. To exercise by bending deeply at the knees and then rising, while bearing weight across the shoulders or upper back. To lift (a barbell) while performing a squat
I can squat 150 lbs.
- To exercise by bending deeply at the knees and then rising, while bearing weight across the shoulders or upper back.
noun
Origin
From Middle English squatten, from Old French esquatir, escatir (“compress, press down, lay flat, crush”), from es- (“ex-”) + quatir (“press down, flatten”), from Vulgar Latin *coactire (“press together, force”), from Latin coāctus, perfect passive participle of cōgō (“force together, compress”). The sense “nothing” is synchronically analyzable as a clipping of diddly-squat, although diachronically the direction of derivation is uncertain.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)