frounce

Plural: frounces

Noun

A canker in the mouth of a hawk.
A plait or curl.

Verb

Verb Forms: frounced, frouncing, frounces

To gather or pleat fabric into ruffles.
To curl.
To crease, wrinkle, to frown.
To gather into or adorn with plaits, as a dress.

Examples

She tried to frounce her brow in concentration, but the word wouldn’t come.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English frouncen, from Old French froncir "to wrinkle, frown", from Frankish *hrunkiju (“a wrinkle”), from Proto-Germanic *hrunkijō, *hrunkitō (“fold, wrinkle”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”).
Akin to Old High German runza "fold, wrinkle, crease" (German Runzel "wrinkle"), Middle Dutch ronse "frown", Old Norse hrukka "wrinkle, crease" (Icelandic hrukka "wrinkle, crease, ruck"). More at ruck₂.

Scrabble Score: 12

frounce: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
frounce: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
frounce: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

frounce: valid Words With Friends Word