Creep
/kriːp/noun
To move slowly and quietly, or to make someone feel uneasy.
Did you know?Its oldest sense is simply to move with bent body or by crawling, but English later weaponized it into the eerie social feeling of someone who makes your skin crawl.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kreup-
“to bend, curve, or creep”
Old English
OE
crēopan
“to creep, crawl, or move on hands and knees”
Middle English
ME
crepen
“to crawl, move slowly, or advance stealthily”
15th Century
English
creep
“to move slowly and quietly; later, to advance gradually”
19th Century
English
creep
“a person regarded as unpleasant, timid, or obnoxious”