Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Grovel \Grov"el\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Groveled}or {Grovelled};
   p. pr. & vb. n. {Groveling} or {Grovelling}.] [From OE.
   grovelinge, grufelinge, adv., on the face, prone, which was
   misunderstood as a p. pr.; cf. OE. gruf, groff, in the same
   sense; of Scand. origin, cf. Icel. gr[=u]fa, in [=a] gr[=u]fu
   on the face, prone, gr[=u]fa to grovel.]
   1. To creep on the earth, or with the face to the ground; to
      lie prone, or move uneasily with the body prostrate on the
      earth; to lie fiat on one's belly, expressive of
      abjectness; to crawl.

            To creep and grovel on the ground.    --Dryden.

   2. To tend toward, or delight in, what is sensual or base; to
      be low, abject, or mean.

Source : WordNet®

grovel
     v : show submission or fear [syn: {fawn}, {crawl}, {creep}, {cringe},
          {cower}]
     [also: {grovelling}, {grovelled}]

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

grovel
     
        1. To work interminably and without apparent progress.  Often
        used transitively with "over" or "through".  "The file
        scavenger has been groveling through the /usr directories for
        10 minutes now."  Compare {grind} and {crunch}.  Emphatic
        form: "grovel obscenely".
     
        2. To examine minutely or in complete detail.  "The compiler
        grovels over the entire source program before beginning to
        translate it."  "I grovelled through all the documentation,
        but I still couldn't find the command I wanted."
     
        [{Jargon File}]