I. adverb
or grov·el·ling ˈgräv(ə)liŋ, ˈgrəv- ; or grov·el·ings or grov·el·lings -ŋz
Etymology: Middle English groveling, grufelinge, grovelings, gruflinges, from gruf, groffe, adverb, on the face, prone (from Old Norse ā grūfu ) + -ling, -lings; akin to Old Norse grūfa to grovel, krjūpa to creep — more at on , creep
archaic : in prostrate position
II. adjective
or grovelling “
1.
a. : having the face or body on or toward the ground : not upright : prone
the groveling creatures of the woods and fields
b. : having a creeping or crawling gait or locomotion
the dominant creatures of the Cambrian seas were the … groveling arthropods — C.O.Dunbar
2.
a. : abject , servile , cringing
at once groveling and arrogant in the most peculiar fashion — Louis Bromfield
without any groveling appeal for sympathy — Anthony West
b. : low , base
who ever entertained so groveling a thought — Henry Fielding