Dodder

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈdɒdə/

Definitions

1. To shake or tremble, often due to feebleness or age ; to move in an unsteady or shaky manner ; a parasitic plant with thin stems that climbs on other plants
2. To exhibit trembling or unsteady shaking typically from weakness or elderliness ; to walk or proceed in a faltering, unstable way ; a vine-like parasite that attaches to and draws nutrients from host plants
3. To quiver or exhibit physical instability caused by frailty or extreme age ; to proceed with hesitating, wobbly movements ; a climbing, parasitic plant known for its thin, twining stems that depend on hosts

Etymology: "Dodder" the verb, meaning to tremble or shake with age, is a 17th-century variant of the dialectal "dadder," which came from Middle English "daderen," meaning to quake or tremble. The verb traces back to the same root that gives us "dither," so the sense of shaking and unsteadiness has stayed with it from the start. The verb and the plant name "dodder," a parasitic vine that wraps itself around other plants, are not related in the way their spelling suggests. The plant name comes from Middle English "doder," borrowed from Middle Dutch "doder," which has cognates in Middle Low German and West Flemish. The two words look identical today only by coincidence of spelling.

Synonyms: totter, wobble, stagger

Antonyms: stabilize