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coddle

[ kod-l ]
/ ˈkɒd l /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR coddle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), cod·dled, cod·dling.

to treat tenderly; nurse or tend indulgently; pamper: to coddle children when they're sick.
to cook (eggs, fruit, etc.) in water that is just below the boiling point; cook gently.

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RELATED WORDS

humor, pet, cosset, favor, caress, mollycoddle, spoil, baby, nurse, cotton, cook, poach, brew, steam, simmer

Nearby words

  1. cod-act,
  2. cod-liver oil,
  3. cod.,
  4. coda,
  5. codder,
  6. code,
  7. code blue,
  8. code book,
  9. code dating,
  10. code flag

Origin of coddle

1590–1600; variant of caudle, v. use of caudle
Related formscod·dler, nounun·cod·dled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for coddle

British Dictionary definitions for coddle

coddle

/ (ˈkɒdəl) /

verb (tr)

to treat with indulgence
to cook (something, esp eggs) in water just below the boiling point

noun

Irish dialect stew made from ham and bacon scraps
Derived Formscoddler, noun

Word Origin for coddle

C16: of obscure origin; perhaps related to caudle
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for coddle

coddle

v.

c.1600, "boil gently," probably from caudle "warm drink for invalids" (c.1300), from Anglo-French caudel (c.1300), ultimately from Latin calidium "warm drink, warm wine and water," neuter of calidus "hot," from calere "be warm" (see calorie). Verb meaning "treat tenderly" first recorded 1815 (in Jane Austen's "Emma"). Related: Coddled; coddling.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper