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creeper

 [kree-per]   Origin

creep·er

   [kree-per]
noun
1.
a person or thing that creeps.
2.
Botany. a plant that grows upon or just beneath the surface of the ground, or upon any other surface, sending out rootlets from the stem, as ivy and couch grass.
3.
Often, creepers. a one-piece garment for an infant, the lower portion resembling briefs and having snaps or buttons across the crotch for convenience in diapering.
4.
Chiefly Northeastern U.S. a spiked iron plate worn on the shoe to prevent slipping on ice, rock, etc.
5.
Also called cradle. Automotive. a flat framework on casters, on which a mechanic lies while working under an automobile or the like.
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6.
Ornithology. any of various birds that creep or climb about on trees, especially of the family Certhiidae, as Certhia americana (brown creeper or tree creeper), of the Northern Hemisphere.
7.
a domestic fowl having malformed, short legs, due to a genetic defect.
8.
a grappling device for dragging a river, lake, etc.
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Origin:
before 1000; Middle English crepere, Old English crēopere. See creep, -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Creeper is always a great word to know.
So is naked seed. Does it mean:
ovules which are unenclosed, forming on cones or stalks
phase in plant life which begins with a spore produced by meiosis
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Collins
World English Dictionary
creeper (ˈkriːpə)
 
—n
1.  a person or animal that creeps
2.  a plant, such as the ivy or periwinkle, that grows by creeping
3.  (US), (Canadian) Also called: tree creeper any small songbird of the family Certhiidae of the N hemisphere, having a brown-and-white plumage and slender downward-curving bill. They creep up trees to feed on insects
4.  a hooked instrument for dragging deep water
5.  Also called: cradle a flat board or framework mounted on casters, used to lie on when working under cars
6.  cricket Also called: daisy cutter a bowled ball that keeps low or travels along the ground
7.  either of a pair of low iron supports for logs in a hearth
8.  informal a shoe with a soft sole

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

creeper
O.E. creopera "one who creeps," from creep. Meaning "lice" is from 1570s; of certain birds from 1660s; of certain plants from 1620s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

creeper

any of various small birds that hug tree trunks or rock surfaces as they move about while feeding. The following are songbirds (suborder Passeres; order Passeriformes):

Learn more about creeper with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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