Crawling
/ˈkrɔː.lɪŋ/noun
The present participle of crawl, meaning moving forward on hands and knees or by dragging the body close to the ground.
Did you know?Crawl comes from a Germanic root linked to twisting or creeping, which is why its earliest sense was about slow, low, insect-like movement rather than human grace.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*krab- / *krabōną
“to creep, crawl, or move in a low, clumsy way”
Old Norse
ON
krafla
“to claw, scratch, or move by feeling one's way”
Middle English
ME
crawlen
“to creep or move slowly on hands and knees”
Modern English
English
crawl
“to move along the ground on the body or on hands and knees”
Modern English
English
crawling
“moving slowly and close to the ground”