creep

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*grewbʰ-“to turn, wind”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*kreupaną“to twist, creep”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*kreupan
4. Old English · inherited fromcrēopan“to creep, crawl”
5. Middle English · inherited fromcrepen
6. English todaycreep

From Middle English crepen, from Old English crēopan (“to creep, crawl”), from Proto-West Germanic *kreupan, from Proto-Germanic *kreupaną (“to twist, creep”), from Proto-Indo-European *grewbʰ- (“to turn, wind”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian krûpe (“to creep, crawl”), Central Franconian kruffe (“to creep, crawl”), Dutch kruipen (“to creep, crawl”), Low German krepen, krupen (“to creep, crawl”), Danish krybe (“to creep”), Faroese krúpa (“to creep”), Icelandic krjúpa (“to kneel down, to genuflect, to get down on one's knees”), Norwegian Bokmål krype (“to creep”), Norwegian Nynorsk krjupa, krjupe, krypa, krype (“to creep, crawl”), Swedish krypa (“to creep, crawl”). The noun is derived from the verb. Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *grewbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *kreupaną Proto-West Germanic *kreupan Old English crēopan Middle English crepen English creep

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• 21st century A person who engages in sexually inappropriate behaviour or sexual harassment.