Obs. exc. dial. Also 4 croume, 9 dial. crum, crom. [A common WG. adj.: OE. crumb = OFris. krumb (EFris. krum, -mme), OS. crumb (MLG. krum, -mme, LG. krumm); MDu. cromp, -be, crom(m (Da. krom), OHG. chrump, -be (MHG. krump, -be, G. 16–17th c. krumb, mod.G. krumm, Upper G. dial. krump) crooked:—OTeut. type *krumbo-, f. krimb-, kramb, krumb- to press, squeeze, compress: see CRAMP sb.1 Cf. also Irish cróm, Welsh crom, crooked, bent. This adj., so important in G. and Du., has had very little development in Eng., its place being taken by the kindred CRUMP; it survives to a slight extent dialectally as crum, crom crooked, and in the derivatives crum, crom vb. (see CRUMB v.2), cromster, crummie q.v.] Crooked.
a. 1100. Misc. Glosses, in Wr.-Wülcker, 514/14. Obunca þa crumban.
c. 1200. Ormin, 9207. & all þatt ohht iss wrang & crumb shall effnedd beon & rihhtedd.
c. 1425. Seuyn Sag. (Wr.), 2477. With a lytil croume knyfe.
1866. Gregor, Banffshire Gloss. (Philol. Soc.), Crom, crooked: as ‘the man [has] a crom finger.’ Very frequently prefixed, as crom-taet (-toed), crom-fingert, crom-leggit.
1878. Cumberld. Gloss., Crum-horn’t.
