grovel

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• /ˈɡrɒvəl/
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• /ˈɡrʌvəl/
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• rhymes with -ɒvəl
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• rhymes with -ʌvəl
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• CMU ARPABET: G R AA1 V AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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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”).

69 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: лежа по очи (leža po oči) — to be prone on the ground
• Finnish: olla rähmällään — to be prone on the ground
• Galician: prosternarse — to be prone on the ground
• Galician: prostrarse — to be prone on the ground
• Italian: giacere bocconi — to be prone on the ground
• Italian: giacere prono — to be prone on the ground
• Māori: tāpapa — to be prone on the ground
• Russian: лежа́ть ниц (ležátʹ nic) — to be prone on the ground
• Spanish: prostrarse — to be prone on the ground
• Spanish: postrarse — to be prone on the ground
• Bulgarian: пълзя (pǎlzja) — to crawl
• Catalan: arrossegar — to crawl
• Czech: plazit se — to crawl
• Danish: krybe — to crawl
• Danish: kravle — to crawl
• Dutch: kruipen — to crawl
• Finnish: ryömiä — to crawl
• Finnish: madella — to crawl
• Finnish: kontata — to crawl
• French: ramper — to crawl
• German: kriechen — to crawl
• Italian: strisciare — to crawl
• Russian: по́лзать (pólzatʹ) — to crawl
• Serbo-Croatian: puzati — to crawl
• Serbo-Croatian: plaziti — to crawl
• Serbo-Croatian: gmizati — to crawl
• Turkish: sürünmek — to crawl
• Azerbaijani: sürünmək — to abase oneself
• Azerbaijani: iməkləmək — to abase oneself
• Azerbaijani: alçalmaq — to abase oneself
• Bulgarian: унижавам се (unižavam se) — to abase oneself
• Czech: ponižovat se — to abase oneself
• Czech: plazit se — to abase oneself
• Finnish: nöyristellä — to abase oneself
• Finnish: madella — to abase oneself
• Finnish: olla rähmällään — to abase oneself
• French: s'abaisser — to abase oneself
• French: s'aplatir — to abase oneself
• Galician: humillarse — to abase oneself
• Galician: abaixarse — to abase oneself
• Galician: rebaixarse — to abase oneself
• German: kriechen — to abase oneself
• German: katzbuckeln — to abase oneself
• German: auf dem Bauch rutschen — to abase oneself
• Italian: abbassarsi — to abase oneself
• Italian: umiliarsi — to abase oneself
• Māori: whakapāpaku — to abase oneself
• Russian: унижа́ться (unižátʹsja) — to abase oneself
• Russian: пресмыка́ться (presmykátʹsja) — to abase oneself
• Spanish: humillarse — to abase oneself
• Turkish: sürünmek — to abase oneself
• Bulgarian: подмазвам се (podmazvam se) — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• Bulgarian: раболепнича (rabolepniča) — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• Czech: lízat paty — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• Dutch: kruipen — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• Finnish: mielistellä — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• French: larbiner — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• German: kriechen — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• German: schleimen — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• Hebrew: התרפס (hitrapés) — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• Italian: ingraziarsi — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• Russian: пресмыка́ться (presmykátʹsja) — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• Serbo-Croatian: puzati — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• Spanish: arrastrarse — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• Spanish: humillarse — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• Turkish: ayaklarına/dizlerine kapanmak — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• Turkish: sürünmek — to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something
• Finnish: rypeä — to take pleasure in mundane things
• Italian: grufolarsi — to take pleasure in mundane things