Scuddled

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Moved quickly and with short, hurried steps, as small creatures or people do when they dash off in a rush
2. Hurried away in a flustered rush, darting along with quick, scrambling movements to get out of the way
3. Went scurrying along in a hasty, nimble fashion, often to escape notice or to reach a place swiftly

Etymology: "Scuddled" is the past tense of "scuddle," a verb meaning to hurry off in a scurrying, scattering way. The verb is built from "scud," a word for something driven swiftly along, such as clouds racing before the wind or a quick, low movement, with the suffix "-le" attached. That ending is a frequentative marker, meaning it turns a single action into one repeated or continued in small bursts, the way "sparkle" grows from "spark" or "twinkle" from an older twinkling root. Scuddling is therefore a flurry of short, quick movements rather than one decisive dash. The closest relative is "scuttle," which also meant to hurry, and the two words likely reinforce one another in sense and sound. Both give a picture of small creatures or people moving briskly out of the way.

Synonyms: scurried, scuttled, scampered, scrambled, hurried

Antonyms: strolled, ambled, sauntered, dawdled, lingered