CREEPER

creeper, tree creeper

(noun) any of various small insectivorous birds of the northern hemisphere that climb up a tree trunk supporting themselves on stiff tail feathers and their feet

crawler, creeper

(noun) a person who crawls or creeps along the ground

creeper

(noun) any plant (as ivy or periwinkle) that grows by creeping

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

creeper (plural creepers)

A person or a thing that crawls or creeps.

(often, in the plural) A one-piece garment for infants designed to facilitate access to the wearer's diaper.

A device which allows a small child to safely roam around a room from a seated or standing position.

A metal plate with spikes, designed to be worn with shoes to prevent slipping.

A spur-like device strapped to the boot to facilitate climbing.

(chiefly, in the plural) A small low iron, or dog, between the andirons.

An instrument with iron hooks or claws for dredging up items from a well or other water.

Any device for causing material to move steadily from one part of a machine to another, such as an apron in a carding machine, or an inner spiral in a grain screen.

Any plant (as ivy or periwinkle) that grows by creeping; especially a climbing plant of the genus Parthenocissus.

A treecreeper.

(nautical) A small four-hooked grapnel used to recover objects dropped onto the sea bed.

The lowest gear of a tractor or truck.

Synonyms: creeper gear, creeper shift

A low-profile wheeled platform whereupon an auto mechanic may lie on their back and gain better access to the underbody of a vehicle.

(pejorative, slang) A person who creeps people out; a creepy person.

A kind of shoe, usually with a suede upper and a thick crepe sole, associated with various 20th-century subcultures.

(cricket) A ball that travels low, near ground level.

Synonyms

• (one who crawls): crawler

• (garment): babygro, creepers, diaper shirt, infant bodysuit, snapsuit

• (climbing plant): climber

• (wheeled platform): cradle

Source: Wiktionary


Creep"er (krp"r), n.

1. One who, or that which, creeps; any creeping thing. Standing waters are most unwholesome, . . . full of mites,creepers; slimy, muddy, unclean. Burton.

2. (Bot.)

Definition: A plant that clings by rootlets, or by tendrils, to the ground, or to trees, etc.; as, the Virginia creeper (Ampelopsis quinquefolia).

3. (Zoöl.)

Definition: A small bird of the genus Certhia, allied to the wrens. The brown or common European creeper is C. familiaris, a variety of which (var. Americana) inhabits America; -- called also tree creeper and creeptree. The American black and white creeper is Mniotilta varia.

4. A kind of patten mounted on short pieces of iron instead of rings; also, a fixture with iron points worn on a shoe to prevent one from slipping.

5. pl.

Definition: A spurlike device strapped to the boot, which enables one to climb a tree or pole; -- called often telegraph creepers.

6. A small, low iron, or dog, between the andirons.

7. pl.

Definition: An instrument with iron hooks or claws for dragging at the bottom of a well, or any other body of water, and bringing up what may lie there.

8. Any device for causing material to move steadily from one part of a machine to another, as an apron in a carding machine, or an inner spiral in a grain screen.

9. pl. (Arch.)

Definition: Crockets. See Crocket.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

25 December 2024

UNAMBIGUOUS

(adjective) having or exhibiting a single clearly defined meaning; “As a horror, apartheid...is absolutely unambiguous”- Mario Vargas Llosa


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee has initially been a food – chewed, not sipped. Early African tribes consume coffee by grinding the berries together, adding some animal fat, and rolling the treats into tiny edible energy balls.

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