grovel

/ˈɡrɒvəl/

Etymology

From Middle English *grovelen, from Old Norse grufla, grœfla (“to grovel”), from Proto-Germanic *grubilōną (“to dig, delve into”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ‑ (“to dig, scrape, scrabble, scratch”); akin to Old Norse á grufu (“on one's belly”) ( > Old Norse grúfa (“to lie face down, grovel”)). Cognate with Scots grovel, gruvil (“to grovel”), German grübeln (“to meditate, ponder”), Norwegian Nynorsk gruvla (“to grovel”). Compare also West Frisian groebeltsje (“to make a mess, skip school, skive”), Dutch grobbelen (“to grope, root, grub”).

grovel means To be prone on the ground. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 70 out of 100.

Why this word is great

GROVEL — [Verb] To abase oneself in a servile or humiliating manner, especially by lying prone or crawling. From Middle English *grovelen*, from Old Norse *grufla*, *grœfla* ("to grovel"), from Proto-Germanic *grubilōną* ("to dig, delve into"), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ‑* ("to dig, scrape"). The sense of abasement developed from the literal meaning of lying face down. Unlike *kowtow*, which implies a formal, ritualized prostration, or *fawn*, which suggests upright flattery, to grovel is a raw spectacle of personal desperation. It is the cold, gritty press of a cheek against stone, the frantic scramble of knees and palms on gravel, the choked sob muffled by carpet fibers—the body’s mute confession that it has nothing left to offer but its own obliteration, mapping the soul's territory with the body's abject grammar.

verb

To be prone on the ground.
To crawl.“In the tube station, the old ones who were on the way out / Would dribble and vomit and grovel and shout”
To abase oneself before another person.“She refused to grovel in front of the bully, standing her ground.”
To be slavishly nice to someone or apologize in the hope of securing something.“He had to grovel before his boss after missing the important meeting.”
To take pleasure in mundane activities.