Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “crabbed” come from?

crabbed (Middle English) comes from Middle English crabbe, from Old English crabba, from Proto-West Germanic krabbō, from Proto-Germanic krabbô, from Proto-Germanic krabbōną, from Proto-Indo-European gerbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European ger- — to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind...

crabbed (Middle English): immoral, backwards, savage, rapacious; crabbed,...

Definitions

  1. immoral, backwards, savage, rapacious; crabbed,...

Ancestry of “crabbed”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcrabbecrab; A crayfish, lobster or similar crustacean;...
2Old Englishcrabbacrab; crayfish
3Proto-West Germanickrabbōcrab
4Proto-Germanickrabbôcrab
5Proto-Germanickrabbōnąto scratch, scrape
6Proto-Indo-Europeangerbʰ-to carve
7Proto-Indo-Europeanger-to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind...

Words derived from “crabbed”

  • crabbed
  • crabbedness
  • crabbedly
  • crabbidly
  • crabbednes
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ger- →