CODDLE

coddle

(verb) cook in nearly boiling water; “coddle eggs”

pamper, featherbed, cosset, cocker, baby, coddle, mollycoddle, spoil, indulge

(verb) treat with excessive indulgence; “grandparents often pamper the children”; “Let’s not mollycoddle our students!”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

coddle (third-person singular simple present coddles, present participle coddling, simple past and past participle coddled)

(transitive) To treat gently or with great care.

(transitive) To cook slowly in hot water that is below the boiling point.

(transitive) To exercise excessive or damaging authority in an attempt to protect. To overprotect.

Synonyms

• (treat gently): cosset, pamper, posset, spoil; see also pamper

• (cook slowly): simmer

Noun

coddle (plural coddles)

An Irish dish comprising layers of roughly sliced pork sausages and bacon rashers with sliced potatoes and onions.

(archaic) An effeminate person.

Anagrams

• codled

Source: Wiktionary

Cod"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Coddled; p. pr. & vb. n. Coddling.] Etym: [Cf. Prov. E. caddle to coax, spoil, fondle, and Cade, a. & v. t.] [Written also codle.]

1. To parboil, or soften by boiling. It [the guava fruit] may be coddled. Dampier.

2. To treat with excessive tenderness; to pamper. How many of our English princes have been coddled at home by their fond papas and mammas! Thackeray. He [Lord Byron] never coddled his reputation. Southey.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition