truckle

Etymology 1

From Middle English trokel, trocle, trookyl, from Anglo-Norman trocle, from Medieval Latin trochlea (“a block, sheaf containing one or more pulleys”); or from a diminutive of truck (“wheel”), formed with -le, equivalent to truck + -le.

noun

1. A small wheel; a caster or pulley.
2. A small wheel of cheese.
3. Ellipsis of truckle bed..

verb

1. To roll or move upon truckles, or casters; to trundle.
2. (intransitive) To sleep in a truckle bed.

Etymology 2

From a back formation of truckle bed (a bed on which a pupil slept, because it was rolled on casters into a lower position under the master's larger bed), from Middle English trookylbed. Compare also trundle bed. Assisted by false association with Middle English *trukelen, truken, trokien, trukien, from Old English trucian (“to fail, diminish”), Low German truggeln (“to flatter, fawn”), see truck.

verb

1. (intransitive) To act in a submissive manner; to fawn, submit to a superior.
   "Why in the world should you spend your money, worry your family, and turn the house upside down for a parcel of girls who don't care a sixpence for you? I thought you had too much pride and sense to truckle to any mortal woman just because she wears French boots and rides in a coupe," said Jo, who, being called from the tragic climax of her novel, was not in the best mood for social enterprises. "I don't truckle, and I hate being patronized as much as you do!" returned Amy indignantly, for the two still jangled when such questions arose. 1869, Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
   There is no doubt […] that truckling to popularity is the worst political vice. 1899, William Graham Sumner, “The Conquest of the United States by Spain”, in War and Other Essays, Yale, published 1911, page 302
   Religion it self is forced to truckle to worldly policy. 1687, John Norris, A Collection of Miscellanies, consisting of Poems, Essays, Discourses and Letters