1. The hip, buttock, and upper thigh in humans and animals.
2. The loin and leg of a four-footed animal, especially as used for food: a haunch of venison.
3. Architecture. Either of the sides of an arch, curving down from the apex to an impost.

[Middle English haunche, from Old French hanche, from Frankish *hanka.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.