scrawl

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

scrawl, v. i. 

 See Crawl.  Latimer.  [1913 Webster]

scrawl, v. t. [Probably corrupted from scrabble.].

 To draw or mark awkwardly and irregularly; to write hastily and carelessly; to scratch; to scribble; as, to scrawl a letter.  [1913 Webster]
"His name, scrawled by himself."  [1913 Webster]

scrawl, v. i. 

 To write unskillfully and inelegantly.  [1913 Webster]
"Though with a golden pen you scrawl."  [1913 Webster]

scrawl, n. 

 Unskillful or inelegant writing; that which is unskillfully or inelegantly written.  [1913 Webster]
"The left hand will make such a scrawl, that it will not be legible."  [1913 Webster]
"You bid me write no more than a scrawl to you."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

scrawl, v. & n.
--v.
1 tr. & intr. write in a hurried untidy way.
2 tr. (foll. by out) cross out by scrawling over.
--n.
1 a piece of hurried writing.
2 a scrawled note.

Derivative

scrawly adj.

Etymology

perh. f. obs. scrawl sprawl, alt. of CRAWL

THESAURUS

scrawl

barbouillage, doodle, hen scratches, hen tracks, illegibility, indecipherability, inscribe, pattes de mouche, pothookery, pothooks, pothooks and hangers, scrabble, scratch, scribble, scribbling, squiggle, undecipherability, unreadability

ROGET THESAURUS

scrawl

Writing

VB write, pen, copy, engross, write out, write out fair, transcribe, scribble, scrawl, scrabble, scratch, interline, stain paper, write down, sign, enface, compose, indite, draw up, draft, formulate, dictate, inscribe, throw on paper, dash off, manifold, take up the pen, take pen in hand, shed ink, spill ink, dip one's pen in ink.