Creep"er (krēp"&etilde;r), n.
1. One who, or that which, creeps; any
creeping thing.
Standing waters are most unwholesome, . . . full
of mites, creepers; slimy, muddy, unclean.
Burton.
2. (Bot.) A plant that clings by
rootlets, or by tendrils, to the ground, or to trees, etc.; as,
the Virginia creeper (Ampelopsis
quinquefolia).
3. (Zoöl.) A small bird of
the genus Certhia, allied to the wrens. The brown or
common European creeper is C. familiaris, a variety of
which (var. Americana) inhabits America; -- called
also tree creeper and creeptree. The American black
and white creeper is Mniotilta varia.
4. A kind of patten mounted on short
pieces of iron instead of rings; also, a fixture with iron points
worn on a shoe to prevent one from slipping.
5. pl. A spurlike device strapped
to the boot, which enables one to climb a tree or pole; -- called
often telegraph creepers.
6. A small, low iron, or dog, between the
andirons.
7. pl. An instrument with iron
hooks or claws for dragging at the bottom of a well, or any other
body of water, and bringing up what may lie there.
8. Any device for causing material to
move steadily from one part of a machine to another, as an apron
in a carding machine, or an inner spiral in a grain
screen.
9. pl. (Arch.) Crockets.
See Crocket.
