coddle

American  

[kod-l] / ˈkɒd l /

verb (used with object)

coddles, present (3rd person singular) coddled, past participle, past coddling present participle

1. to treat tenderly; nurse or tend indulgently; pamper.

   to coddle children when they're sick.

   Synonyms:

   spoil, humor, baby, indulge

2. to cook (eggs, fruit, etc.) in water that is just below the boiling point; cook gently.

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coddle British  

/ ˈkɒdəl /

verb

1. to treat with indulgence

2. to cook (something, esp eggs) in water just below the boiling point

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noun

1. dialect stew made from ham and bacon scraps

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• uncoddled
  adjective
• coddler
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has coddled
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have coddled
  perfect
• is coddling
  progressive 3rd person singular
• have been coddling
  perfect progressive
• coddling
  participle
• has been coddling
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• coddles
  singular 3rd person
• am coddling
  progressive 1st person singular
• are coddling
  progressive

Past

• had coddled
  perfect
• was coddling
  progressive singular
• were coddling
  progressive plural
• had been coddling
  perfect progressive
• coddled
  participle
• coddled
  simple

Future

• will coddle
  simple
• will have coddled
  perfect
• will be coddling
  progressive
• will have been coddling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of coddle

1590–1600; variant of caudle, v. use of caudle

Explanation

While it is okay for parents to coddle, spoil, or pamper a young child, it’s a little unnerving when parents coddle, or pamper adult children. And downright weird when adult children wear Pampers. Coddle is an old word. Originally, it meant to cook gently in water that is near boiling, as in coddling an egg. It most likely gained its association with pampering and taking care of someone via a drink made for invalids that was prepared by coddling. “Mollycoddle,” a synonym for coddle, originally meant a person who coddles himself, or an effeminate man.