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Added 9 October 2026

crawl

/kɹɔːl/ noun

In Latin: rēpō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about crawl at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A very slow movement.
the traffic advanced at a crawl
A swimming stroke; arms are moved alternately overhead accompanied by a flutter kick.
A slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body.
a crawl was all that the injured man could manage

verb

Move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground.
The crocodile was crawling along the riverbed
Feel as if crawling with insects.
My skin crawled--I was terrified
Be full of.
The old cheese was crawling with maggots

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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