"partly or wholly deprived of the use of one or more limbs," early 14c., from cripple (v.). The earlier adjective in Middle English was crepel, crupel (early 13c.).
Entries linking to crippled
cripple v.
mid-13c., "to move slowly, be crippled," from cripple (n.). Transitive meaning "make a cripple of, lame, partially disable by injury to a limb or limbs" is from early 14c. (implied in crippled). Related: Crippling.