lurch

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• Received-Pronunciation: lûrch
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• Received-Pronunciation: /lɜːt͡ʃ/
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• General-American: lûrch
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• General-American: /lɜɹt͡ʃ/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ
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• CMU ARPABET: L ER1 CH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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Originally a nautical term, found in lee-larches (“the sudden and violent rolls of a ship to the leeward in high seas”), of unknown origin. Possibly the same as lurch (“to move stealthily, evade by stooping”) (see below), or from French lâcher (“to let go”).

From Middle English lorchen, variant of Middle English lurken (“to lurk”). More at lurk.

From Middle English *lurche (implied in derivative lurching), from Old French lourche (“deceived, embarrassed; also the name of a game”), from Proto-West Germanic *lort (“left; left-handed; crooked; bent; warped; underhanded; deceitful; limping”). Cognate to English lirt.

From Middle English *lurchen (recorded only in Middle English lurcare, lurcard (“glutton”)), from Old French *lurcher, from Latin lurcō (“eat greedily, guzzle”), of uncertain origin. Compare Middle High German slurken (“to slurp”) (whence German schlurken).

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: клатушкане (klatuškane) — sudden or unsteady movement
• Chinese Mandarin: 踉跄 (liàngqiàng) — sudden or unsteady movement
• Czech: výkyv — sudden or unsteady movement
• Czech: zavrávorání — sudden or unsteady movement
• Czech: zakymácení se — sudden or unsteady movement
• Czech: cuknutí — sudden or unsteady movement
• Dutch: hobbelen — sudden or unsteady movement
• Dutch: slingeren — sudden or unsteady movement
• French: embardée — sudden or unsteady movement
• German: Schlingern — sudden or unsteady movement
• German: Ruck — sudden or unsteady movement
• Irish: suaitheadh — sudden or unsteady movement
• Italian: barcollio — sudden or unsteady movement
• Italian: sbilanciamento — sudden or unsteady movement
• Italian: imbardata — sudden or unsteady movement
• Russian: рыво́к (ryvók) — sudden or unsteady movement
• Spanish: bandazo — sudden or unsteady movement
• Bulgarian: накланям се (naklanjam se) — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Bulgarian: клатушкам се (klatuškam se) — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Czech: zavrávorat — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Czech: zakymácet se — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Czech: trhnout sebou — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Czech: zmítat se — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Finnish: horjua — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• French: chanceler — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• French: faire une embardée — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• French: tituber — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• French: vaciller — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• German: taumeln — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• German: schlingern — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• German: torkeln — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• German: ruckeln — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Italian: barcollare — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Māori: tūpou — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Russian: поша́тываться (pošátyvatʹsja) — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Russian: пошатну́ться (pošatnútʹsja) — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Spanish: tambalearse — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Swedish: kränga — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Swedish: vingla — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Turkish: sendelemek — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Ukrainian: похи́туватися (poxýtuvatysja) — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Ukrainian: похитну́тися (poxytnútysja) — to make a sudden, unsteady movement
• Ukrainian: хита́тися (xytátysja) — to make a sudden, unsteady movement