Crabby
/ˈkræb.i/noun
Irritable, ill-tempered, or easily annoyed.
Did you know?“Crabby” is ultimately tied to the same Germanic root as “crab,” and English has long used crab imagery for awkward, sideways, or bad-tempered behavior.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*krabǭ / *krabō
“Crab”
Old English
English
crabba
“Crab”
Middle English
English
crabbed
“Harsh, rough, difficult; later, ill-tempered”
Late 16th Century
English
crabby
“Irritable, peevish”
Modern English
English
crabby
“Irritable, ill-tempered, or easily annoyed”