grovel

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gʰrebʰ‑“to dig, scrape, scrabble, scratch”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*grubilōną“to dig, delve into”
3. Old Norse · derived fromgrufla
4. Middle English · inherited from*grovelen
5. English todaygrovel

From Middle English *grovelen, from Old Norse grufla, grœfla (“to grovel”), from Proto-Germanic *grubilōną (“to dig, delve into”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ‑ (“to dig, scrape, scrabble, scratch”); akin to Old Norse á grufu (“on one's belly”) ( > Old Norse grúfa (“to lie face down, grovel”)). Cognate with Scots grovel, gruvil (“to grovel”), German grübeln (“to meditate, ponder”), Norwegian Nynorsk gruvla (“to grovel”). Compare also West Frisian groebeltsje (“to make a mess, skip school, skive”), Dutch grobbelen (“to grope, root, grub”).