tidder

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From Middle English tidren, from Old English tīdrian, tȳdrian (to become weak or infirm; be frail), from Proto-Germanic *tūdrijaną (to become brittle or weak; exhaust), from Proto-Germanic *tūdrijaz (brittle; weak; exhausted), equivalent to tid +‎ -er.

Related to Old English tiddre, tyddre, tēdre, tīdre, tȳdre (weak; fragile), West Frisian tear (tender; gentle), Dutch teder (tender; fond; gentle; loving), German Low German teder (fine; delicate; sensitive; tender; weak).

Verb

[edit]

tidder (third-person singular simple present tidders, present participle tiddering, simple past and past participle tiddered)

  1. (dialectal) To treat with tenderness; fondle
    • 1916 July, Rose O'Neill, “The Kewpies and their Fairy Cousin”, in Good Housekeeping, volume 63, number 1, page 88:
      Their doings now were jubilational—
      What quiet folks would call sensational.
      Their goodies they unpack excitedly,
      Their Common Grandsire greet delightedly,
      With gentle, sympathetic tiddering.
      When from his tree-top he called diddering,
      All "gramps," Wag said, are worth considering.

Synonyms

[edit]
[edit]

Anagrams

[edit]