cripple Definition

cripple
verb crippled, crippling

1. To make lame; to disable.

Thesaurus: paralyse, disable, maim, debilitate, enfeeble.
2. To damage, weaken or undermine.

Example: The government introduced policies which crippled the economy
Thesaurus: damage, impair, sabotage, incapacitate, halt, ruin, destroy.

noun

1. Someone who is lame or badly disabled.
2. Someone damaged psychologically.

Example: an emotional cripple

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon crypel.