Creeper

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɹipɚ/

Definitions

1. A climbing plant that adheres to surfaces with tendrils or roots can refer to a person who stealthily approaches others or a creature that navigates hidden areas to remain unseen
2. A plant that grows along surfaces by sending out shoots or roots to cling ; a person who moves quietly and secretly to avoid detection ; an animal or entity that stays concealed while moving about
3. A vegetation type that ascends walls or structures using small roots or tendrils ; an individual who advances cautiously and unnoticed ; a being that travels in secrecy to stay out of sight

Etymology: The plain story here is a straightforward one, but it has a neat twist at the end. The word goes back to Old English "crēopere," a creature or thing that creeps, built from the verb "creep" plus the agent suffix "-er." Its Middle English form "crepere" kept that same sense of something that moves close to the ground, slowly and low, and a creeping plant fits that picture exactly: it spreads along walls, fences and the ground, or climbs by clinging to whatever is nearby. The more surprising part is the slang. Anyone who has been told a film "gives the creeps" is using a phrase whose sense, a feeling of unease or horror, seems far removed from a plant. Yet the slang "creeps" and the verb "creep out" grew from that same root of stealthy, crawling movement, so the word for a vine and the word for a shiver up the spine share one ancestor. The noun "creeper" in the botanical sense simply stayed close to its original meaning of something that creeps.

Synonyms: climber, vine, crawler