Cosseted

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Given overly indulgent care and attention, often spoiling or sheltering someone from hardship
2. Tended to with extreme gentleness and consideration, protecting someone excessively from difficulties
3. Handled with an abundance of affection and protection, frequently preventing exposure to problems

Etymology: Cosseted began as a farm term for a lamb. The verb "cosset" is probably from Middle English "cotsete," from Old English "cotsǣta," meaning "cottager," a person who lived in a small cot or cottage. The second half, "-sǣta," means "sitter" or "settler," so the original sense was roughly "one who sits in a cot." Medieval rural communities knew the practice of raising an orphaned or weak lamb by hand near the house, and German still preserves the image in "Hauslamm," or "house lamb." English speakers came to use "cosset" for a pet lamb raised indoors, and then for any creature or person treated with excessive care. From that pampering sense, the verb moved from animals to people. To cosset someone is to shower them with indulgence, protecting them from every hardship. The adjective "cosseted" describes someone who has been raised this way, perhaps to the point of being unprepared for the world.

Synonyms: pampered, coddled

Antonyms: neglected, abandoned