haunch

 
Pronunciation: /hɔːn(t)ʃ/

noun

  • 1a buttock and thigh considered together, in a human or animal.
  • [mass noun] the leg and loin of an animal, especially a deer, as food: haunch of venison
  • 2 Architecture the side of an arch, between the crown and the pier.

Phrases

on one's haunches

with the haunches resting on the backs of the heels: Billy squatted down on his haunches

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French hanche, of Germanic origin