A person or device that crops plants or materials, or a horse trained for agricultural work; also slang for a fall or failure.
From Middle English 'croppe' (to cut off), derived from Old Norse 'kroppa' meaning body or sprout. The sense of 'a person who crops' developed in the 14th century, while the slang sense of 'a bad fall' emerged in the 19th century from the idea of something being 'cut short' or interrupted.
The phrase 'come a cropper' meaning to fail spectacularly became wildly popular in Victorian England, possibly because it described both literal falls from horses and metaphorical business collapses during an era of rapid industrialization and economic uncertainty.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.