CRINGE, verb transitive [G.] Properly, to shrink; to contract; to draw together; a popular use of the word. [Vulgarly, scringe.] You see him cringe his face. CRINGE, verb intransitive To bow; to bend with servility; to fawn; to make court by mean compliances. Flatterers are always bowing and cringing. CRINGE, noun A bow; servile civility.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI