Also 3–5 crenge, crenche, 6 crintch, 7 crindge, cring, chringe, (9 dial. crinch). [Cringe (crintch), first found in 16th c., appears to be a phonetic modification (with ordinary Eng. change of eng, enge, to ing, inge, as in hinge, singe, wing: see CLINK v.2) of an earlier crenge, found with variant crenche early in 13th c. Crenge, crenche, represent OE. *cręncgean, *cręncean (:—*krangjan, *krankjan), causal deriv. of the strong verb found in OE. with the double form cringan, crincan to draw oneself together spasmodically, to contract or shrink together into a bent or crooked position: see CRANK sb.1 Primarily then crengen, crenchen was transitive, but already in 13th c. we find ‘cringe with the neck.’]
† 1. trans. To compress, draw together, or draw in (any part of the body) as in shrinking from pain or danger; to contract, distort (the neck, face, etc.). Obs.
1598. Bp. Hall, Sat., IV. ii. He can … make a Spanish face with fauning cheere … shake his head, and cringe his necke and side.
1606. Shaks., Ant. & Cl., III. xiii. 100. Whip him, Fellowes, Till like a Boy you see him crindge his face, And whine aloud for mercy.
c. 1630. J. Taylor (Water P.), Red Herring. They cringing in their necks, like rats, smothered in the hold, poorly replied.
2. intr. a. To draw in or contract the muscles of the body involuntarily; to shrink. b. To shrink in or away (as with fear); to cower.
a. 1225. St. Marher., 9 (MS. B.). [The dragon] bigon to crahien ant to crenge wið swire [MS. R. crenchen mit swire].
a. 1455. Holland, Houlate, 956. He crepillit, he crengit, he carfully cryd.
1597. R. Lichfield, Trimming of T. Nashe (N.). What makes you sit downe so tenderly? You crintch in your buttocks like old father Pater patriæ.
1684. Bunyan, Pilgr., II. 69. The Boys that went before were glad to cringe behind, for they were afraid of the Lions.
1719. D’Urfey, Pills, IV. 125. We have no twinge to make us cringe Or crinkle in the Hams.
c. 1750. J. Nelson, Jrnl. (1810), 3–4. The words made me cringe, and my flesh seemed to creep on my bones.
1847. Todd, Cycl. Anat., III. 68/1. He was sensible … of something ‘cringing’ in the lower part of the thigh.
1861. G. F. Berkeley, Sportsm. W. Prairies, vii. 101. The last two cows had to ‘cringe,’ or tuck in their tails and haunches, to miss the ‘catcher.’
3. intr. To bend the body timorously or servilely; to cower. Often applied derisively or depreciatively to bowing, with the implication of attendant servility or cowardice. Const. to (a person).
1575–97. [see CRINGING ppl. a.].
1621–51. Burton, Anat. Mel., I. ii. III. xv. 129. They cannot … carve at Table, chringe and make congies.
1647. H. More, Song of Soul, I. I. lxiii. Thus cring’d he toward th’ East.
c. 1680. Beveridge, Serm. (1729), I. 48. An opinion, that to bow or cringe (as they profanely call it, in derision) before Almighty God, is superstition.
1853. T. T. Lynch, Self-Improvement, v. 123. You should bow to most people, but cringe to nobody.
4. fig. To behave obsequiously or with mean submissiveness; to show base or servile deference.
c. 1620. H. Anderson, Law of Christ. Cringing to those that from all virtue run.
1660–72. Wood, Life (Oxf. Hist. Soc.), I. 359. The most ready men to cring to and serve these times.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., III. 105. Their chief business … had been to teach the people to cringe and the prince to domineer.
5. trans. † a. To bow deferentially to (a person). b. To bow a person in or out with cringes.
1609. W. M., Man in Moone (1849), 17. Your tradesmen, which now cappe and cringe you.
1660. H. More, Myst. Godliness, V. xiv. 169. Cringing and courting … not only Christ, but the blessed Virgin.
1822. Byron, Werner, I. i. 441. Hence, and bow and cringe him here!
