squinch
[verb]
Synonyms: recoil, blanch, blench, flinch, quail, shrink, start, wince, squint, sken, squinny

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

squinch verb. [skwɪn(t)ʃ] Chiefly US. E19.
[Perh. blend of SQUINT verb and PINCH verb.]
1. verb trans. Screw up, contort (one's face, features, etc.). E19.

2. verb intrans. Squeeze up so as to occupy less place; crouch. M19.

Comb.:
squinch-owl US local a screech owl (of the genus Otus).

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲

squinch noun¹. [skwɪn(t)ʃ] L15.
[Alt. of SCUNCH.]
Architecture.
1. A stone cut to serve as a scuncheon. L15.

2. A straight or arched support constructed across an interior angle of a square tower to carry a superstructure. M19.

3. A small structure, with two triangular faces, sloping back from an angle of a tower against the superimposed side of a spire. M19.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲

squinch noun². [skwɪn(t)ʃ] E17.
[Origin unkn.]
A narrow opening in a building; a slit, a crack.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲