Etymology Possibly from Middle English scraulen (“to spread out one's limbs; sprawl”), itself an alteration of spraulen (“to sprawl”) or craulen, crawlen (“to crawl”). Alternatively, from scrall, a contraction of scrabble.
1
Irregular, poor handwriting; especially, such writing that is illegible.
Etymology Possibly from Middle English scraulen (“to spread out one's limbs; sprawl”), itself an alteration of spraulen (“to sprawl”) or craulen, crawlen (“to crawl”). Alternatively, from scrall, a contraction of scrabble.
1
To write something hastily or illegibly.
She scrawled the main points onto her notepad.
2
To write in an irregular or illegible manner.
3
To write unskilfully and inelegantly.
c. 1710-1730, Jonathan Swift (probably), Sandys's Ghost Though with a golden pen you scrawl.
Etymology From Middle English scraulen (“to crawl”), itself an alteration of crawlen (“to crawl”). More at crawl.
1
To creep; crawl; to move slowly, with difficulty, fearfully, or stealthily.
we will scrape and scrawl, and catch and pull to us all that we may getNovember 9, 1550, Hugh Latimer, A Sermon preached at Stamford
When I saw him scrawlen on the plain, My heart aw flacker'd for't, I was sae fain.1797 (original possibly 1783), Josiah Relph, Poems by the Reverend Josiah Relph ... With the life of the author and a pastoral elegy on his death; by T. Sanderson, page 13
2 more examples
T'poor pig what had just scrawled through t'bottom o' t'cart,1892, Clarke Tum Fowt Sketches, page 40, no. 3
'Cut its throat,' I calls to him, but he didn't, just slashes its forepaw; but it dropt di-rekly, couldn't hardly scrawl out on the bank.'1896, Francis Hindes Groome, Kriegspiel: The War Game, page 252: