Cripple

Cripple is an English term with several related senses. As a verb, to cripple means to cause someone or something to lose the ability to move or function normally, often by injury or disease. In historical and some medical language, "cripple" and "crippled" described persons who were physically unable to walk or perform typical bodily functions. The noun form "a cripple" referred to a person with a disability; the adjective "crippled" described impairment or damage drawn from that sense. In modern usage, referring to a person as "a cripple" or describing someone as "the cripple" is regarded as highly offensive and demeaning, and the adjective is typically replaced by "disabled" or "person with a disability." Metaphorical uses such as "crippled by debt" or "crippled by bureaucracy" are common in non-personal contexts but can still convey harsh imagery.

Etymology: The word traces to Middle English and earlier forms related to the verb "to cripple" meaning to injure or disable. It has long been used in both physical and figurative senses.

Usage and context: Most style guides and disability advocates encourage avoiding the term in reference to people. Language choices emphasize person-first or identity-first preferences depending on community norms: "person with a disability" or "disabled person." The term survives in historical texts, certain legal or medical phrases, and in colloquial or literary usage, but is generally avoided in contemporary respectful language.