cripple

B2 Topic:Work & Careers

US /ˈkɹɪp(ə)l/ See IPA manual

Freq #8795

Meanings

1

verb
To seriously damage something so that it can no longer work properly.

The strike crippled the country's transport system for a week.
2

verb
To injure someone so badly that they can no longer use part of their body.

The accident crippled him for life.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to seriously damage... damage disable incapacitate

2 verb · to injure someone so badly... lame disable

Word family

Forms crippledcripples

Derived forms becripplecrippledomcripplenesscripplepunkcripplercripplesomecripplewarecripplylong-cripple

Related forms disability disfigurement lame paralysis

Etymology

From Middle English cripel, crepel, crüpel, from Old English crypel (“crippled; a cripple”), from Proto-Germanic *krupilaz (“tending to crawl; a cripple”), from Proto-Indo-European *grewb- (“to bend, crouch, crawl”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to bend, twist”), equivalent to creep + -le. Cognate with Dutch kreupel, Low German Kröpel, German Krüppel, Old Norse kryppill.

cripel Middle English crypel Old English *krupilaz Proto-Germanic *grewb- Proto-Indo-European *ger- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

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# cripple

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈkɹɪp(ə)l/
**Frequency rank:** 8795

## Meanings
1. To seriously damage something so that it can no longer work properly.
2. To injure someone so badly that they can no longer use part of their body.

## Examples
- The strike crippled the country's transport system for a week.
- The accident crippled him for life.

## Derived Forms
- becripple
- crippledom
- crippleness
- cripplepunk
- crippler
- cripplesome
- crippleware
- cripply
- long-cripple

## Related Forms
- disability
- disfigurement
- lame
- paralysis

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: cripel
- Root: crypel
- Root: *krupilaz
- Root: *grewb-
- Root: *ger-

## Etymology
From Middle English cripel, crepel, crüpel, from Old English crypel (“crippled; a cripple”), from Proto-Germanic *krupilaz (“tending to crawl; a cripple”), from Proto-Indo-European *grewb- (“to bend, crouch, crawl”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to bend, twist”), equivalent to creep + -le. Cognate with Dutch kreupel, Low German Kröpel, German Krüppel, Old Norse kryppill.

## AI Etymology
cripple comes from Middle English cripel, crepel, crüpel, from Old English crypel (“crippled; a cripple”), from Proto-Germanic *krupilaz (“tending to crawl; a cripple”), from Proto-Indo-European *grewb- (“to bend, crouch, crawl”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to bend, twist”), equivalent to creep + -le. Cognate with Dutch kreupel, Low German Kröpel, German Krüppel, Old Norse kryppill. The historical chain includes Middle English cripel, Old English crypel, Proto-Germanic *krupilaz, Proto-Indo-European *grewb-, Proto-Indo-European *ger-. Current senses include to seriously damage something so that it can no longer work properly and to injure someone so badly that they can no longer use part of their body. English relatives and later formations include becripple, crippledom, crippleness, disability, disfigurement.

## Topics
- Work & Careers

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cripple

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