n.
archaic or
offensive a person who is unable to walk or move properly through disability or injury.
v.
make unable to move or walk properly.
▸cause severe and disabling damage to.
Derivative
- crippledom n.
- crippler n.
Usage
The word cripple in the sense ‘a person unable to walk through disability or injury’ has acquired offensive connotations and has now largely been replaced by broader terms such as disabled person.
Etymology
OE: from two words, crypel and crēopel, both of Gmc origin and rel. to creep.
