flinch

Pronunciation: /ˈflɪnt͡ʃ/

The English word “flinch” has 5 meanings listed here.

noun

A reflexive jerking away.
The slipping of the foot from a ball, when attempting to give a tight croquet.

verb

To make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a (usually negative) stimulus; to cringe; to blench.
To dodge (a question), to avoid an unpleasant task or duty
To let the foot slip from a ball, when attempting to give a tight croquet.

Etymology

From Middle French flenchir (“to bend”), from Old French flenchir, flanchir, from Frankish *hlankijan, from Proto-Germanic *hlankijaną (“to bend, twist, flex”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleng- (“to bend, turn, wind”). Cognate with Old High German hlenken, whence Middle High German lenken (“to bend”), Modern German lenken (“to cause to veer or turn aside, steer”). Attested in English since the…

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