cripple

[krip-uhl]

noun

1. 1. Offensive.,  a term used to refer to a person who is partially or totally unable to use one or more limbs.

   2. an animal that is similarly disabled; a lame animal.

   3. Offensive.,  a person who is disabled or impaired in any way.

2. anything that is impaired or flawed.

3. a wounded animal, especially one shot by a hunter.

4. Carpentry.,  any structural member shorter than usual, as a stud beneath a windowsill.

5. Delaware Valley.,  a swampy, densely overgrown tract of land.

verb (used with object)

crippled, crippling 

1. to make a cripple of; lame.

2. to disable; impair; weaken.

   Indirect losses from extreme weather events have crippled the economy.

   The proposed hike in visa fees could further cripple the island's tourism industry.

adjective

1. Carpentry.,  jack.

cripple

/ ˈkrɪpəl /

noun

1. offensive,  a person who is lame

2. offensive,  a person who is or seems disabled or deficient in some way

   a mental cripple

3. dialect,  a dense thicket, usually in marshy land

verb

1. (tr) to make a cripple of; disable

Sensitive Note

When referring to someone for whom it is difficult or impossible to walk or move without some kind of external aid like crutches or a wheelchair, sensitivity is called for. The noun cripple and the adjective crippled are no longer considered appropriate. Although these terms have been in use since before the year 950, since the mid-1900s they have become increasingly uncommon and are largely regarded as insulting. Since the late 20th century, the terms handicapped and the handicapped, once thought to be acceptable alternatives, have also become, at least in some contexts, offensive. ( Handicapped remains acceptable, however, in certain set phrases like handicapped parking. ) Attempts to replace crippled with the milder euphemistic term physically challenged were sidetracked by a virtual explosion of satirical imitations like economically challenged (poor), ethically challenged (immoral), and vertically challenged (short). Currently acceptable terms are disabled and people with disabilities. These terms are not only less likely to offend, they are more useful. While cripple and crippled traditionally denoted permanent impairments of one or more limbs, disabled is a broader, more comprehensive word that can refer to many different kinds of physical or mental impairments, whether temporary or permanent. cripple and crippled are not usually problematic when referring to an inanimate object or an animal. And cripple is unlikely to be deemed offensive as a verb, especially metaphorically, as in Failing to upgrade the computer system will cripple our business. Like many other usually offensive terms, the word cripple can also be acceptable when used by people with disabilities in self-reference, as an act of reclamation, or for political purposes. See also retarded ( def. ).

Other Word Forms

• crippler noun
• cripplingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of cripple¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English cripel, Old English crypel; akin to creep

Word History and Origins

Origin of cripple¹

Old English crypel; related to crēopan to _creep , Old Frisian kreppel a cripple, Middle Low German kröpel

Example Sentences

For the high schooler, that catapult to fame coincided with the onset of crippling panic attacks.

From Los Angeles Times

It is not yet known who is responsible for the attack, but it comes in the wake of crippling attacks on prominent UK retail businesses including the Co-op and Marks and Spencer.

From BBC

China is still negotiating a deal with the US that would stave off crippling tariffs and possible sanctions for buying Russian crude.

From BBC

Years-long crippling economic sanctions were lifted in exchange for curbs to Iran's nuclear programme under the UN-backed deal between Iran and the US, UK, France, Germany, China and the EU.

From BBC

But many in the industry have called the ban a knee-jerk move, which they say has crippled a thriving sector and would hurt those it is trying to protect.

From BBC

Related Words

• damage 
• destroy 
• halt 
• hamstring 
• impair 
• ruin 
• sideline 
• stifle