frounce

English - English

Definition of frounce in English English dictionary

to curl

A canker in the mouth of a hawk

to crease, wrinkle

{v} to curl the hair

{n} a disorder, a wart

{f} wrinkle one's brow in displeasure or anger, scowl, frown; gather into or decorate with plaits (as a dress); form wrinkles

To gather into or adorn with plaits, as a dress; to form wrinkles in or upon; to curl or frizzle, as the hair

To form wrinkles in the forehead; to manifest displeasure; to frown

A wrinkle, plait, or curl; a flounce; also, a frown

An affection in hawks, in which white spittle gathers about the hawk's bill

Etymology

() From Middle English frouncen from Old French froncir "to wrinkle, frown", of Germanic origin, from Frankish *hrunkja "a wrinkle" from Proto-Germanic *xrunkjō, *xrunkitō (“fold, wrinkle”) from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”). Akin to Old High German runza "fold, wrinkle, crease" (German Runzel "wrinkle"), Middle Dutch ronse "frown", Old Norse hrukka "wrinkle, crease" (Icelandic hrukka "wrinkle, crease, ruck"). More at ruck2.

Tenses

frouncing, frounced