crepen

crepen

Middle English

Alternative forms

• crepe, creope, creepe, cryepe

Etymology

From Old English crēopan, from Proto-Germanic *kreupaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkreːpən/

Verb

crepen

1. To move in a subtle or secretive way:
   1. To creep close to the ground; to slither or crawl.
   2. To move or walk on all four limbs.
   3. To clamber; to scale or ascend a vertical surface.
   4. To walk or move secretly and carefully.
2. To enter or depart; to experience the start or end of life.
3. To appear or disappear; to arrive or leave.
4. To burgle or rob; to loot a house or property.
5. (pathology) To become more dire or severe; to grow.
6. To kneel or bow down; to visibly humble oneself.
7. (rare) Of plants; to grow or sprout.
8. (rare) To feel a false feeling of movement inside oneself.

Conjugation

Conjugation of crepen (strong class 2 or weak in -te/-ed)

infinitive	(to) crepen, crepe
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	crepe	crep, crop, crepte, creped
2nd-person singular	crepest	crope, crepe, crep, crop, creptest, crepedest
3rd-person singular	crepeth	crep, crop, crepte, creped
subjunctive singular	crepe	crope1, crepe1, crepte1, creped1
imperative singular		—
plural2	crepen, crepe	cropen, crope, crepen, crepe, crepten, crepte, crepeden, crepede
imperative plural	crepeth, crepe	—
participles	crepynge, crepende	cropen, crope, crept, creped, ycrope

¹Replaced by the indicative in later Middle English.
²Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Derived terms

• crepel
• creper
• crepynge

Descendants

• English: creep
• Scots: crepe, creip

References

• “crẹ̄pen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-17.