Where does “creep” come from?

Creep comes from Middle English crepen, from Old English crēopan, from Proto-Germanic kreupaną, from Proto-Indo-European ger-.

creep (English): To move slowly with the abdomen close to the...

Definitions

  1. To move slowly with the abdomen close to the...

Ancestry of “creep”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishcrepenTo move in a subtle or secretive way; To enter or...
2Old Englishcrēopanto creep, crawl
3Proto-West Germanic*kreupanto creep, crawl
4Proto-Germanickreupanąto twist, to creep
5Proto-Indo-Europeanger-to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind...

Words derived from “creep”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ger- →Every word from Proto-Germanic kreupaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *kreupan →