Coddler

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual who provides excessive comfort and care, often resulting in a lack of personal growth or resilience
2. Someone who overly indulges or pampers another, often shielding them from hardship
3. An individual who treats another with excessive care, preventing them from developing independence

Etymology: "Coddler" is a plain formation: the verb "coddle" with the agent suffix "-er" attached, producing a noun for a person who does the coddling. Its meaning follows directly from that verb, so someone called a coddler is one who indulges, shelters, and overly pampers others. The more interesting history lies in "coddle" itself, which the suffix simply extends. The verb meant to cook gently in water just below boiling, most famously eggs, and only later took on the sense of treating someone tenderly, as if they were fragile. The figurative meaning developed from that image of gentle, careful handling, so a coddler is, in effect, someone who handles people the way a cook handles a delicate egg.

Synonyms: pamperer, spoiler

Antonyms: disciplinarian