# scrawl

> English word · Noun · IPA /skɹɔːl/ · frequency rank #69,429

## Definitions
1. Irregular, poor handwriting; especially, such writing that is illegible.
2. A hastily or carelessly written note etc.
3. Writing that lacks literary merit.
4. A broken branch of a tree.
5. The young of the dog-crab.

## Etymology
Possibly from Middle English scraulen (“to spread out one's limbs; sprawl”), itself an alteration of spraulen (“to sprawl”) or craulen, crawlen (“to crawl”).
Alternatively, from scrall, a contraction of scrabble.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/scrawl