The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Cower \Cow"er\ (kou"[~e]r), v. t.
   To cherish with care. [Obs.]
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Cower \Cow"er\ (kou"[~e]r), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Cowered
   (kou"[~e]rd); p. pr. & vb. n. Cowering.] [Cf. Icel. kera to
   doze, liequiet, Sw. kura, Dan. kure, G. kauern to cower, W.
   cwrian.]
   To stoop by bending the knees; to crouch; to squat; hence, to
   quail; to sink through fear.
   [1913 Webster]

         Our dame sits cowering o'er a kitchen fire. --Dryden.
   [1913 Webster]

         Like falcons, cowering on the nest.      --Goldsmith.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

cower
    v 1: crouch or curl up; "They huddled outside in the rain" [syn:
         huddle, cower]
    2: show submission or fear [syn: fawn, crawl, creep,
       cringe, cower, grovel]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

45 Moby Thesaurus words for "cower":
   apple-polish, bend, bend the knee, blench, bootlick, bow,
   bow and scrape, crawl, creep, cringe, crouch, dodder, fawn,
   flatter, flinch, get down, grovel, halt, hunch, hunch down, kneel,
   kowtow, lick the dust, lickspittle, limp, quail, quiver, recoil,
   scrouch down, shake, shrink, skulk, slink, sneak, squat, stoop,
   teeter, toadeat, toady, totter, tremble, truckle, wallow, welter,
   wince