Crooked
/ˈkruːkɪd/noun
Bent, twisted, or not straight; also dishonest or illegal.
Did you know?The word comes from Old Norse *krókr*, meaning a hook or bend, and its older sense of a sharp turn helped it evolve into a powerful metaphor for moral corruption.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*krōkaz / *krōk-
“a hook, bend, or something curved”
Old Norse
ON
krókr
“a hook, corner, or bend”
Middle English
ME
crooked
“bent, curved, not straight”
16th Century
English
crooked
“deviating from honesty or fairness”
Modern English
English
crooked
“bent or dishonest”