tidder

English

Etymology

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

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

• coddle, cosset, dandle; see also Thesaurus:pamper

Related terms

• tiddle

Anagrams

• dirted, reddit