[f. as prec. + -NESS.] The quality of being crabbed.
1. Crookedness, perversity or refractoriness of disposition, fractiousness (obs.); ill-nature; harshness; asperity or sourness of temper.
1413. Lydg., Pilgr. Sowle, IV. xx. 66. O deth … bytter art thou and ful of crabbydnesse.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., II. 472. Throw crabitnes with gret crudelitie.
1598. Florio, Peruersita, peruersenes, frowardnes, crabbednes.
1765. T. Hutchinson, Hist. Col. Mass. Bay, I. 187. The natural crabbedness of his wife’s temper.
1888. J. K. Laughton, in Dict. Nat. Biog. XVI. 96/1. The sweetness of temper which everybody loves, or the crabbedness of will which everybody fears.
2. Ruggedness, roughness, asperity; rugged or perverse intricacy of language, questions, etc.
1546. Langley, Pol. Verg. De Invent., I. ix. 19 a. Menander & Philemon … aswaged al the crabbetnesse of the olde wrytinges.
1563. Golding, Cæsar (1565), 213 b. The crabbednesse of the wayes were a let to hym.
1579. Fenton, Guicciard., IX. (1599), 391. The crabbednesse of the season may suffice to detaine vs.
1691. Wood, Ath. Oxon., I. 319. Leaving the crabbedness of Logick … he became … Herald.
1883. F. M. Crawford, Dr. Claudius, i. 9. The hand was large and round and flourished, not in the least like his uncle’s sexagenarian crabbedness of hieroglyphic.
† 3. Harshness or asperity of taste. Obs.
1715. trans. Pancirollus’ Rerum Mem., II. v. 298. Sugar … mollifies the Acrimony, and makes meek the Crabbedness of tart and sour things.
