An archaic or dialectal word meaning to sit or crouch on the haunches; in a squatting position.
From Middle English, combining the preposition 'a-' (in, on) with 'haunch' (hip or hip-related position). This Old English construction was common for describing positions and states.
Old English loved using 'a-' to describe being in a state—like 'afire' (in flames), 'ashamed' (in shame), 'ahaunch' (in haunch-position). It's a grammatical feature that mostly disappeared from English but survives in phrases like 'agog' and archaic descriptions.
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