crawl

Meanings

Verb

• To creep; to move slowly on hands and knees, or by dragging the body along the ground.
• To move forward slowly, with frequent stops.
• To act in a servile manner.
• See crawl with.
• To feel a swarming sensation.
• To swim using the crawl stroke.
• To move over (an area) on hands and knees.
• To move over (an area) slowly, with frequent stops.
• To visit files or web sites in order to index them for searching.

Noun

• The act of moving slowly on hands and knees, etc.
• The act of sequentially visiting a series of similar establishments (i.e., a bar crawl).
• A rapid swimming stroke with alternate overarm strokes and a fluttering kick.
• A very slow pace.
• A piece of horizontally or vertically scrolling text overlaid on the main image.
• A pen or enclosure of stakes and hurdles for holding fish.

Origin

• From Middle English crawlen, crewlen, creulen, crallen, *cravelen, from Old Norse krafla (compare Danish kravle, Swedish kravla), from Proto-Germanic *krablōną (compare Dutch krabbelen, German Low German krabbeln, German krabbeln), frequentative of *krabbōną. Compare also West Frisian kreauwelje, Dutch krevelen, krieuwelen, German Low German kribbeln, German kribbeln. See also crab, crabble.
• Compare kraal.