The hip and upper leg area of an animal, or the part of a meat carcass that includes the hip and upper leg; also used to mean sitting on one's heels.
From Old French 'hanche,' which came from a Germanic source. The word entered English in the 14th century and originally referred specifically to the hip region, expanding to include the meat cut.
In cooking, 'haunch of venison' is a royal and luxurious dish—its use in fancy cuisine is why this body part kept its French name while most butchery terms stayed Anglo-Saxon.
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