croup

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A pathological condition of the larynx, especially in infants and children, that is characterized by respiratory difficulty and a hoarse, brassy cough.
2. n. The rump of a beast of burden, especially a horse.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A name applied to a variety of diseases in which there is some interference at the glottis with respiration. True or membranous croup is inflammation of the larynx (laryngitis) with fibrinous exudation forming a false membrane. Many if not all cases of true croup are diphtheritic in nature. False croup is simple or catarrhal laryngitis, not resulting in the formation of a membrane, but inducing at times spasm of the glottis. Spasmodic croup, or laryngismus stridulus, is a nervous affection characterized by attacks of laryngeal spasm independent of local irritation: popularly called crowing convulsions.
2. n. The rump or buttocks of certain animals, especially of a horse; hence, the place behind the saddle.
3. n. A hump or hunch on an animal's body.
4. To cry out; cry hoarsely; specifically, to cough hoarsely, as in croup.

Wiktionary

1. n. The top of the rump of a horse.
2. v. obsolete, except, dialectal To croak, make a hoarse noise.
3. n. pathology An infectious illness of the larynx, especially in young children, causing respiratory difficulty.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The hinder part or buttocks of certain quadrupeds, especially of a horse; hence, the place behind the saddle.
2. n. (Med.) An inflammatory affection of the larynx or trachea, accompanied by a hoarse, ringing cough and stridulous, difficult breathing; esp., such an affection when associated with the development of a false membrane in the air passages (also called membranous croup). See False croup, under false, and diphtheria.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a disease of infants and young children; harsh coughing and hoarseness and fever and difficult breathing
2. n. the part of an animal that corresponds to the human buttocks