Groveler
/ˈɡrʌv.əl.ər/noun
A person who behaves in an excessively humble or submissive way, often to gain favor.
Did you know?Grovel comes from a Scandinavian root tied to crawling or creeping close to the earth, which is why the word still feels physically humiliating, almost ritualistic.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*grubōną / *grūbōną
“to dig, scrape, or move close to the ground”
Old Norse
ON
grufa
“to crouch, stoop, or lie face down”
Middle English
ME
grovelen
“to lie prone, crawl, or creep along the ground”
16th Century
English
grovel
“to crawl or lie flat on the ground in a servile way”
19th Century
English
groveler
“one who grovels; a person who is abjectly submissive”