Huddled

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Huddle \Hud"dle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Huddled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
     {Huddling}.] [Cf. OE. hoderen, hodren, to cover, keep, warm;
     perh. akin to OE. huden, hiden, to hide, E. hide, and orig.
     meaning, to get together for protection in a safe place. Cf.
     {Hide} to conceal.]
     To press together promiscuously, from confusion,


     apprehension, or the like; to crowd together confusedly; to
     press or hurry in disorder; to crowd.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           The cattle huddled on the lea.           --Tennyson.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Huddling together on the public square . . . like a
           herd of panic-struck deer.               --Prescott.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  huddled
       adj 1: squatting close to the ground; "poorly clothed men huddled
              low against the wind"; "he stayed in the ditch
              hunkered down" [syn: {crouched}, {crouching}, {hunkered},
               {hunkered down}]
       2: crowded or massed together; "give me...your huddled masses";
          "the huddled sheep turned their backs against the wind"