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GROVELINGLY

 - 3 dictionary results

grov⋅el

  [gruhv-uhl, grov-]
Use GROVELINGLY in a Sentence
–verb (used without object), -eled, -el⋅ing or (especially British) -elled, -el⋅ling.
1. to humble oneself or act in an abject manner, as in great fear or utter servility.
2. to lie or crawl with the face downward and the body prostrate, esp. in abject humility, fear, etc.
3. to take pleasure in mean or base things.
Origin:
1585–95; back formation from obs. groveling (adv.), equiv. to obs. grufe face down (< ON ā grūfu face down) + -ling 2 , taken to be prp.

Related forms:
grov⋅el⋅er; especially British, grov⋅el⋅ler, noun
grov⋅el⋅ing⋅ly; especially British, grov⋅el⋅ling⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. truckle, toady, fawn, kowtow, pander.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Slang Dictionary
grovel [ˈgrɑvlæ]

  1. in.
    to fondle or pet. : They spent the whole time in the backseat groveling.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

grovel 
1593, Shakespearian back-formation of M.E. groveling, regarded as a prp. but really an adv., from O.N. grufe "prone" + obsolete adverbial suffix -ling (which survives also as the -long in headlong, sidelong); first element from O.N. a grufu "on proneness." Perhaps related to creep.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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