Where does “scrawl” come from?
Scrawl comes from Middle English scraulen, which derives from Middle English spraulen, from Old English spreawlian, ultimately tracing to Proto-Germanic roots krablōną and krabbōną, both descended from Proto-Indo-European grobʰ- and gerebʰ-.
scrawl (English): Irregular, possibly illegible handwriting; A...
Definitions
- Irregular, possibly illegible handwriting; A...
Ancestry of “scrawl”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | scraulen | to spread out one's limbs; sprawl; to crawl |
| 2 | Middle English | crawlen | to crawl |
| 3 | Old Norse | krafla | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | krablōną | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | krabbōną | to scratch, scrape |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gerbʰ- | to carve |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ger- | to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind... |