In a sideways manner or direction, like a crab's characteristic movement; moving with lateral steps.
From 'crab' (Old Norse 'krabbi') plus the directional suffix '-wise' (from Old English 'wīse,' meaning 'manner' or 'direction'). '-wise' creates adverbs meaning 'in the manner of.'
The '-wise' suffix is alive in modern English—we still say 'clockwise,' 'lengthwise,' and 'likewise'—showing how medieval directional vocabulary remains the DNA of how we describe movement and perspective.
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