Daggling

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Trailing or dragging through mud, wet grass, or puddles so that the hem or lower edge becomes soaked and dirty
2. Letting a hem, cloth, or loose end drag along muddy or soaked ground until it is filthy
3. Hanging low and dragging through wet mire, so that the lower part of something becomes muddied and bedraggled

Etymology: "Daggling" is the present participle of "daggle," a verb meaning to drag something through mud or wet ground so that its hem or edges become soiled and draggled. The verb is built from "dag," an older English word for a loose lock of wool or a clump of dirt clinging to a sheep's rear end, and the suffix "-le," which English uses to form verbs describing repeated or continuous action, as in "sparkle" or "twinkle." Put together, the base idea is of something repeatedly brushing against the ground and gathering filth. Because "dag" itself survives mainly in regional and historical use, "daggle" feels more obscure than its near relatives. Its sense stays concrete: it describes the untidy state of a skirt or cloak trailing in the wet, rather than any abstract wrongdoing.