cripple

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*grewbʰ-
2. Proto-Germanic*kreupaną
3. Proto-Germanic*krupilaz
4. Proto-West Germanic*krupil
5. Old Englishcrypel
6. Middle Englishcrepel
7. English todaycripple

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.

Words from the same roots