crawl

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To move slowly on your hands and knees or by dragging your body along the ground.

   The baby crawled across the living room floor.

2. 2
   verb

   To move forward very slowly, often with frequent stops.

   The rush-hour traffic crawled along the motorway.

3. 3
   noun

   A very slow rate of movement.

   The traffic advanced at a crawl.

4. 4
   verb

   To feel an unpleasant tingling sensation, as if insects were moving on your skin.

   The horrible sight made my skin crawl.

5. 5
   verb

   To behave in an overly humble way to please someone in power.

   Don't come crawling to me with your useless apologies.

From Middle English crawlen, crewlen, creulen, crallen, *cravelen, from Old Norse krafla (compare Danish kravle (“to crawl, creep”), Swedish kravla, kräla (“to creep, crawl”)), from Proto-Germanic *krablōną (compare Saterland Frisian krabbelje, Dutch krabbelen, German Low German krabbeln, German krabbeln), frequentative of *krabbōną (“to scratch, scrape”). Compare also Saterland Frisian krauelje (“to crawl, scuttle”), West Frisian kreauwelje (“to crawl”), Dutch krevelen, krieuwelen (“to crawl”), German Low German kribbeln, German kribbeln (“to creep, crawl, tingle”). See also crab, crabble.

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