Offensive. a term used to refer to a person who is partially or totally unable to use one or more limbs.
an animal that is similarly disabled; a lame animal.
a person who is disabled or impaired in any way: a mental cripple.
anything that is impaired or flawed.
a wounded animal, especially one shot by a hunter.
Carpentry. any structural member shorter than usual, as a stud beneath a windowsill.
Delaware Valley. a swampy, densely overgrown tract of land.
verb (used with object), crippled, crippling.
to make a cripple of; lame.
to disable; impair; weaken.
Carpentry. jack1 ( def 28 ).

before 950; Middle English cripel, Old English crypel; akin to creep

crippler, noun
cripplingly, adverb
uncrippled, adjective

When referring to a person, the use of cripple as a noun or verb (or verbal adjective crippled) is not common and is perceived as insulting. The alternative terms handicapped and the handicapped are still in use but are not the usual terms of choice. The most common and acceptable terms are disabled, and when referring to a group, the disabled or people with disabilities. And disabled is a more comprehensive word that includes many different kinds of impairments, whether temporary or permanent. In contrast, cripple and crippled describe usually permanent impairments that involve the limbs, making it difficult or impossible for the person to move or walk. See also retarded. Unabridged
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World English Dictionary
cripple (ˈkrɪpəl)
1.  offensive a person who is lame
2.  offensive a person who is or seems disabled or deficient in some way: a mental cripple
3.  dialect (US) a dense thicket, usually in marshy land
4.  (tr) to make a cripple of; disable
[Old English crypel; related to crēopan to creep, Old Frisian kreppel a cripple, Middle Low German kröpel]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

O.E. crypel, related to cryppan "to crook, bend," from P.Gmc. *krupilaz, and/or related to O.E. creopan "to creep."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

cripple crip·ple (krĭp'əl)
One that is partially disabled or unable to use a limb or limbs. v. crip·pled, crip·pling, crip·ples
To cause to lose the use of a limb or limbs.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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Example sentences
Actually astrology has done far less to cripple humanity's progress.
High electric losses cripple a utility's ability to properly invest in its
  system and provide stable service.
But if you can cripple a voter's basic trust in a candidate, you can probably
  turn his vote.
Such intense fear may cripple careers and prevent people from visiting family
  or friends.
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