kittle
[ kit-l ]
verb (used with object),kit·tled, kit·tling.
to tickle with the fingers; agitate or stir, as with a spoon.
to excite or rouse (a person), especially by flattery or strong words.
adjective,kit·tler, kit·tlest.
ticklish; fidgety.
requiring skill or caution; precarious.
Origin of kittle
1First recorded in 1475–85; earlier kytylle, ketil (compare Middle English verbal noun kitilling, kitlinge “tickling” late Old English citelung, kitelung ); cognate with Middle High German kützeln; akin to Old Norse kitla, German kitzeln “to tickle”
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for kittle
kittle
/ (ˈkɪtəl) Scot /
adjective
capricious and unpredictable
verb
to be troublesome or puzzling to (someone)
to tickle
Origin of kittle
1C16: probably from Old Norse kitla to tickle
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
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