Nearby Words

meddler

[med-l] Origin

med·dle

[med-l]
verb (used without object), -dled, -dling.
to involve oneself in a matter without right or invitation; interfere officiously and unwantedly: Stop meddling in my personal life!

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English medlen < Old French me(s)dler, variant of mesler (French mêler) < Vulgar Latin *misculāre, frequentative of Latin miscēre to mix

med·dler, noun
med·dling·ly, adverb
o·ver·med·dle, verb (used without object), -dled, -dling.
un·med·dled, adjective
un·med·dling, adjective
EXPAND
un·med·dling·ly, adverb
COLLAPSE

medal, meddle, metal, mettle.


intervene, intrude, pry.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Meddler is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Collins
World English Dictionary
meddle (ˈmɛdəl)
 
vb
1.  (usually foll by with) to interfere officiously or annoyingly
2.  (usually foll by in) to involve oneself unwarrantedly: to meddle in someone's private affairs
 
[C14: from Old French medler, ultimately from Latin miscēre to mix]
 
'meddler
 
n
 
'meddling
 
adj
 
'meddlingly
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

meddle
late 13c., "to mingle," from O.N.Fr. medler (O.Fr. mesler) "to mix, mingle, to meddle," from V.L. *misculare, from L. miscere "to mix" (see mix). Meaning "to concern oneself" (usually disparaging) is attested from early 15c. From mid-14c. to 1700, it also was a euphemism for
EXPAND
"have sexual intercourse." Related: Meddled; meddler; meddlesome; meddling.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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