# cower

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈkaʊɚ/ · frequency rank #49,846

## Definitions
1. To crouch or cringe, or to avoid or shy away from something, in fear.
2. To crouch in general.
3. To cause to cower; to frighten into submission.
4. To be a coward; to hide away or refuse to face opposition due to fear.

## Etymology
From Middle English couren, cowre, from Middle Low German kûren (“to lie in wait; linger”) or from North Germanic (Icelandic kúra (“to doze”)); according to Pokorny, all are ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to curve, bend”), see also Proto-Germanic *kuddô (“shell, pod”).
Cognate with German kauern (“to squat”), Dutch koeren (“to keep watch (in a cowered position)”), Serbo-Croatian kutriti (“to lie in a bent position”), Swedish kura (“huddle, cower”). Unrelated to coward, which is of Latin origin.

## Easily confused with
- **cows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cower-vs-cows)
- **cowl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cower-vs-cowl)
- **Cowley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cower-vs-cowley)
- **Croker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cower-vs-croker)
- **Cowper** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cower-vs-cowper)
- **crowder** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cower-vs-crowder)
- **cow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cow-vs-cower)
- **cor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cor-vs-cower)
- **Coe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coe-vs-cower)
- **come** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/come-vs-cower)
- **code** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/code-vs-cower)
- **core** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/core-vs-cower)
- **cole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cole-vs-cower)
- **coke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coke-vs-cower)
- **cope** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cope-vs-cower)
- **cone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cone-vs-cower)
- **cove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cove-vs-cower)
- **Cher** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cher-vs-cower)
- **cote** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cote-vs-cower)
- **coed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coed-vs-cower)

## Common misspellings (7)
`ccower`, `coewr`, `cowerr`, `cowre`, `cowwer`, `cwoer`, `ocwer`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cower