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.
Meanings
(countable, uncountable) Irregular, poor handwriting; especially, such writing that is illegible.
(countable, uncountable) A hastily or carelessly written note etc.
(countable, uncountable) Writing that lacks literary merit.
(countable, uncommon) A broken branch of a tree.
(countable, uncommon, uncountable) The young of the dog-crab.
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.
Meanings
(transitive) To write something hastily or illegibly.
She scrawled the main points onto her notepad.
(intransitive) To write in an irregular or illegible manner.
(intransitive) To write unskilfully and inelegantly.
c. 1710-1730, Jonathan Swift (probably), Sandys's Ghost
Though with a golden pen you scrawl.
uk шкрябати (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · hy խզբզել (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · pl nagryzmolić (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · is hripa (to write hastily or illegibly) · ru цара́пать (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · cs škrábat (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · de krakeln (to write hastily or illegibly) · pl bazgrać (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · hy խզբզել (to write hastily or illegibly) · de dahin schmieren (to write hastily or illegibly) · fr griffonner (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · pl skrobać (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · fi raapustaa (to write hastily or illegibly) · it scarabocchiare (to write hastily or illegibly) · es garrapatear (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · uk базграти (to write hastily or illegibly) · io skribachar (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · uk базграти (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · io skribachar (to write hastily or illegibly) · de kritzeln (to write hastily or illegibly) · cs naškrábat (to write hastily or illegibly) · pt rabiscar (to write hastily or illegibly) · eo skribaĉi (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · is krota (to write hastily or illegibly) · bg надрасквам (to write hastily or illegibly) · uk шкрябати (to write hastily or illegibly) · ru шкря́бать (to write hastily or illegibly) · is skrifa flausturslega (to write hastily or illegibly) · fi raapustaa (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · fi riipustaa (to write hastily or illegibly) · pl bazgrać (to write hastily or illegibly) · is pára (to write hastily or illegibly) · pl gryzmolić (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · eo skribaĉi (to write hastily or illegibly) · es garrapatear (to write hastily or illegibly) · fi riipustaa (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · pl gryzmolić (to write hastily or illegibly) · de kritzeln (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · is krassa (to write hastily or illegibly) · ru цара́пать (to write hastily or illegibly) · pt rabiscar (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · cs načmárat (to write hastily or illegibly) · pl nabazgrać (to write hastily or illegibly) · ru шкря́бать (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · pl nagryzmolić (to write hastily or illegibly) · cs drápat (to write in an irregular or illegible manner) · it scarabocchiare (to write in an irregular or illegible manner)
From Middle English scraulen (“to crawl”), itself an alteration of crawlen (“to crawl”). More at crawl.
Meanings
To creep; crawl; to move slowly, with difficulty, fearfully, or stealthily.
When I saw him scrawlen on the plain, My heart aw flacker'd for't, I was sae fain. 1797 (original possibly 1783), Josiah Relph, Poems by the Reverend Josiah Relph ... With the life of the author and a pastoral elegy on his death; by T. Sanderson, page 13
T'poor pig what had just scrawled through t'bottom o' t'cart, 1892, Clarke Tum Fowt Sketches, page 40, no. 3
we will scrape and scrawl, and catch and pull to us all that we may get November 9, 1550, Hugh Latimer, A Sermon preached at Stamford
'Cut its throat,' I calls to him, but he didn't, just slashes its forepaw; but it dropt di-rekly, couldn't hardly scrawl out on the bank.' 1896, Francis Hindes Groome, Kriegspiel: The War Game, page 252: