dodder

¹ American  

[dod-er] / ˈdɒd ər /

verb (used without object)

dodders, present (3rd person singular) doddered, past participle, past doddering present participle

1. to shake; tremble; totter.

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dodder ² American  

[dod-er] / ˈdɒd ər /

noun

1. a leafless parasitic plant, Cuscuta gronovii, having dense clusters of small, white, bell-shaped flowers on orange-yellow stems that twine about clover or flax.

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dodder ¹ British  

/ ˈdɒdə /

verb

1. to move unsteadily; totter

2. to shake or tremble, as from age

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dodder ² British  

/ ˈdɒdə /

noun

1. any rootless parasitic plant of the convolvulaceous genus Cuscuta , lacking chlorophyll and having slender twining stems with suckers for drawing nourishment from the host plant, scalelike leaves, and whitish flowers

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dodderer
  noun
• doddery
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have doddered
  perfect
• has doddered
  perfect 3rd person singular
• has been doddering
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• dodders
  singular 3rd person
• are doddering
  progressive
• doddering
  participle
• have been doddering
  perfect progressive
• am doddering
  progressive 1st person singular
• is doddering
  progressive 3rd person singular

Past

• had doddered
  perfect
• was doddering
  progressive singular
• were doddering
  progressive plural
• doddered
  participle
• doddered
  simple
• had been doddering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dodder
  simple
• will have doddered
  perfect
• will be doddering
  progressive
• will have been doddering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of dodder¹

First recorded in 1610–20; origin uncertain; perhaps a variant of dadder “to shake, tremble,” of expressive origin; cf. dither, totter, teeter, etc.

Origin of dodder²

1225–75; Middle English doder; cognate with Dutch, Danish dodder, Middle Low German dod ( d ) er, Middle High German toter, German Dotter

Explanation

When you dodder, you walk in a shaky or trembling way. You're most likely to see older people dodder, moving slowing and unsteadily. People usually dodder because of illness, disability, or the fragility of very old age. Your great Aunt Martha may dodder over to you, but then give you a powerful bear hug when she gets there. The verb dodder dates from the 1600's, and it's thought to have probably come from the Middle English daderen, "to quake or tremble."