I take it a little back to the roots of moving slowly along the ground. In terms of humans, that largely became slowly and furtively stalking.
I think you’re making the same mistake as Yvain here. I think that etymologically speaking Bob is called “creepy” because he gives Alice the creeps (a visceral feeling of uneasiness, as though spiders were crawling on her skin), not because he’s metaphorically crawling towards her. (The word for the latter is “sneaky”; the two are correlated but not the same concept.)
From what I can see, the verb sense came first, then creeper as one who creeps, then creepy as the feeling of having things crawl on your skin, and then creep as someone who creeps and gives you those feelings.
As a matter of semantic hygiene, if used to indicate one person’s reaction to another, creepy is a two place term. If used to indicate an observer independent fact, such as actions of a person, it is a one place term.
However, many habitually deny the two place aspect in all sorts of concepts, claiming objectivity and observer independence. That tension between riding my philosophical hobby horse of pointing out two place terms is coming up against those who would habitually seek to make their reactions a quality of the the object they’re reacting to. There is validity in that if creepy is a two place term, but it is an over generalization as a one place term.
creep (v.)
Old English creopan “to creep” (class II strong verb; past tense creap, past participle cropen), from Proto-Germanic kreupanan (cf. Old Frisian kriapa, Middle Dutch crupen, Old Norse krjupa “to creep”), from PIE root greug-. Related: Crept; creeping.
creeper (n.)
Old English creopera “one who creeps,” agent noun from creep (v.). Also see creep (n.). Meaning “lice” is from 1570s; of certain birds from 1660s; of certain plants from 1620s.
creep (n.)
“a creeping motion,” 1818, from creep (v.). Meaning “despicable person” is 1935, American English slang, perhaps from earlier sense of “sneak thief” (1914). Creeper “a gilded rascal” is recorded from c.1600, and the word also was used of certain classes of thieves, especially those who robbed customers in brothels. The creeps “a feeling of dread or revulsion” first attested 1849, in Dickens.
creepy (adj.)
1794, “characterized by creeping,” from creep + -y (2). Meaning “having a creeping feeling in the flesh” is from 1831; that of producing such a feeling, the main modern sense, is from 1858. Creepy-crawly is from 1858.
See creep, creeper, creeping. Also creep in the sense of
creep (n.)
“a creeping motion,” 1818, from creep (v.). Meaning “despicable person” is 1935, American English slang, perhaps from earlier sense of “sneak thief” (1914). Creeper “a gilded rascal” is recorded from c.1600, and the word also was used of certain classes of thieves, especially those who robbed customers in brothels. The creeps “a feeling of dread or revulsion” first attested 1849, in Dickens.
This reminds me—I wonder if “creepiness” is to some extent a group phenomenon. If one or two (high status?) women in group are creeped out, then they might influence others in the group.
Emotions themselves are contagious, particularly with an ingroup member, and that’s not counting the usual status and ingroup/outgroup dynamics.
One complication. I’d expect real unsafe assault threat creepiness to decrease while you’re in a group from mitigation of the threat, while low status creepiness to increase.
I’d expect real unsafe assault threat creepiness to decrease while you’re in a group from mitigation of the threat, while low status creepiness to increase.
Wait… Why would you be more creeped out by a low-status person if they’re your friend? If anything, I’d expect you to eventually realize that theirs is cluelessness rather than malevolence, and eventually get used to it. (I’m reasonably sure I’m more likely to low-status-creep someone I’ve just met that someone I’ve known for a while—though I might just be insufficiently controlling for the relevant confounding factors.)
Wait… Why would you be more creeped out by a low-status person if they’re your friend?
I wouldn’t. We have a clash of the imaginations.
In the scenario in my head, the Creep was never a member of your group, was an assault threat creep, and you may or may not be in a group. When you’re in a group, you’re safer from the creep, therefore perceived creepiness is diminished along with decreased feeling of threat.
I think you’re making the same mistake as Yvain here. I think that etymologically speaking Bob is called “creepy” because he gives Alice the creeps (a visceral feeling of uneasiness, as though spiders were crawling on her skin), not because he’s metaphorically crawling towards her. (The word for the latter is “sneaky”; the two are correlated but not the same concept.)
From what I can see, the verb sense came first, then creeper as one who creeps, then creepy as the feeling of having things crawl on your skin, and then creep as someone who creeps and gives you those feelings.
As a matter of semantic hygiene, if used to indicate one person’s reaction to another, creepy is a two place term. If used to indicate an observer independent fact, such as actions of a person, it is a one place term.
However, many habitually deny the two place aspect in all sorts of concepts, claiming objectivity and observer independence. That tension between riding my philosophical hobby horse of pointing out two place terms is coming up against those who would habitually seek to make their reactions a quality of the the object they’re reacting to. There is validity in that if creepy is a two place term, but it is an over generalization as a one place term.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=creep
creep (v.) Old English creopan “to creep” (class II strong verb; past tense creap, past participle cropen), from Proto-Germanic kreupanan (cf. Old Frisian kriapa, Middle Dutch crupen, Old Norse krjupa “to creep”), from PIE root greug-. Related: Crept; creeping.
creeper (n.) Old English creopera “one who creeps,” agent noun from creep (v.). Also see creep (n.). Meaning “lice” is from 1570s; of certain birds from 1660s; of certain plants from 1620s.
creep (n.) “a creeping motion,” 1818, from creep (v.). Meaning “despicable person” is 1935, American English slang, perhaps from earlier sense of “sneak thief” (1914). Creeper “a gilded rascal” is recorded from c.1600, and the word also was used of certain classes of thieves, especially those who robbed customers in brothels. The creeps “a feeling of dread or revulsion” first attested 1849, in Dickens.
creepy (adj.) 1794, “characterized by creeping,” from creep + -y (2). Meaning “having a creeping feeling in the flesh” is from 1831; that of producing such a feeling, the main modern sense, is from 1858. Creepy-crawly is from 1858. See creep, creeper, creeping. Also creep in the sense of
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=creep&allowed_in_frame=0
creep (n.) “a creeping motion,” 1818, from creep (v.). Meaning “despicable person” is 1935, American English slang, perhaps from earlier sense of “sneak thief” (1914). Creeper “a gilded rascal” is recorded from c.1600, and the word also was used of certain classes of thieves, especially those who robbed customers in brothels. The creeps “a feeling of dread or revulsion” first attested 1849, in Dickens.
This reminds me—I wonder if “creepiness” is to some extent a group phenomenon. If one or two (high status?) women in group are creeped out, then they might influence others in the group.
I’m sure it is.
Emotions themselves are contagious, particularly with an ingroup member, and that’s not counting the usual status and ingroup/outgroup dynamics.
One complication. I’d expect real unsafe assault threat creepiness to decrease while you’re in a group from mitigation of the threat, while low status creepiness to increase.
“You” the creeper or “you” the crepee?
You the creepee.
Wait… Why would you be more creeped out by a low-status person if they’re your friend? If anything, I’d expect you to eventually realize that theirs is cluelessness rather than malevolence, and eventually get used to it. (I’m reasonably sure I’m more likely to low-status-creep someone I’ve just met that someone I’ve known for a while—though I might just be insufficiently controlling for the relevant confounding factors.)
I wouldn’t. We have a clash of the imaginations.
In the scenario in my head, the Creep was never a member of your group, was an assault threat creep, and you may or may not be in a group. When you’re in a group, you’re safer from the creep, therefore perceived creepiness is diminished along with decreased feeling of threat.
Yes, I got that, I was talking about the “while low status creepiness to increase” at the end of that comment.