Coddles

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Treats someone with excessive care or tenderness ; cooks food gently by submerging it in barely boiling water
2. Provides overly protective or indulgent treatment to a person ; prepares food softly by cooking it in hot water below boiling point
3. Behaves protectively or pampering toward someone ; cooks by placing in hot water that is kept just below boiling

Etymology: "Coddles" is the third-person singular form of "coddle," a verb meaning to treat someone too gently, shielding them from hardship as if they were fragile. The verb is probably connected to "caudle," a word for a warm, sweet drink of thin gruel mixed with wine or ale, traditionally given to invalids. That link is a good clue to the sense: a caudle was comforting food for the sick, so to coddle someone was to nurse them with soft, indulgent care. The likelier relatives are British dialect "caddle," meaning to coax, spoil, or fondle, and "cade," a word for a pet lamb raised by hand. Both suggest the idea of indulging something delicate, which fits the verb's modern meaning. The connection to "caudle" is still a probable rather than a certain one, but it explains why the word carries that sense of warm, pampering attention.

Synonyms: pamper, spoil

Antonyms: neglect