CRABBED Meaning of CRABBED in English ■ adjective1》 (of writing) hard to read or understand. 2》 crabby.Derivatives~ly adverb~ness noun OriginME: from crab 1 , because of the crab's sideways gait and habit of snapping. Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004