lurch¹ / lərch/ • n. [usu. in sing.] an abrupt uncontrolled movement, esp. an unsteady tilt or roll: the boat gave a violent lurch, and he missed his footing.• v. [intr.] make an abrupt, unsteady, uncontrolled movement or series of movements; stagger: the car lurched forward Stuart lurched to his feet| fig. he was lurching from one crisis to the next. lurch² • n. (in phrase leave someone in the lurch) leave an associate or friend abruptly and without assistance or support in a difficult situation.

lurch1 vb. beat at a game in a particular manner XIV; sb. †game resembling backgammon, †final score in a game, †discomfiture, †cheat, and in phr. †have in the lurch have at a disadvantage, leave in the lurch leave in unexpected difficulty (perh. partly alt. of leave in the lash, of obscure orig.) XVI. The immed. Source appears to be F. †lourche game resembling backgammon, also in phr. demeurer lourche be discomfited (orig. in the game), prob. — MHG. lurz wrong, in modG. lurz werden fail in a game.

lurch2 sudden leaning over to one side. XIX. app. orig. in lee-lurch, perh. alt. of lee-larch (XVIII), for lee-latch drifting to leeward, f. LEE + †latch (XVII) ?leeway, ?lurch.
Hence vb. XIX.

Lurch

of buses—Lipton, 1970.