noun / verb
scuttle
A quick movement with short, hurried steps.
A crab scuttles across the wet sand as the tide rises.
Etymology
Probably an expressive extension of scud. The hurried-movement verb is separate from the coal container and ship-opening words.
More examples
- She makes a quick scuttle from the porch to the car.
- We scuttled indoors when the rain began.
- Mice are scuttling behind the kitchen cabinets.
Forms
scuttle · scuttles · scuttled · scuttling