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cuddle

 - 3 dictionary results

cud⋅dle

  [kuhd-l] verb, -dled, -dling, noun
Use cuddle in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to hold close in an affectionate manner; hug tenderly; fondle.
–verb (used without object)
2. to lie close and snug; nestle.
3. to curl up in going to sleep.
–noun
4. act of cuddling; hug; embrace.
Origin:
1510–20; perh. back formation from ME cudliche intimate, affectionate, OE cūthlīc, or from ME cuthlechen, OE cūthlǣcan to make friends with; see couth 2 , -ly
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cuddle
cud·dle   (kŭd'l)   
v.   cud·dled, cud·dling, cud·dles

v.   tr.
To fondle in the arms; hug tenderly. See Synonyms at caress.
v.   intr.
To nestle; snuggle.
n.  The act of cuddling; a hug or embrace.

[Origin unknown.]
cud'dle·some, cud'dly adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cuddle 
c.1520, probably a variant of obs. cull, coll "to embrace" (see collar), or perhaps M.E. *couthelen, from couth "known," hence "comfortable with." The word has a spotty early history, and it seems to have been a nursery word at first.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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