Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “dawdle” come from?

Dawdle derives from English dade, Middle English -el, Old English -el, Old English -ol, and Proto-Indo-European -elo- and -lós, though the precise original sense remains uncertain.

dawdle (English): To spend time idly and unfruitfully, to waste...

Definitions

  1. To spend time idly and unfruitfully, to waste...

Ancestry of “dawdle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdoddleA job, task or other activity that is simple or...

Words derived from “dawdle”

  • dawdler
  • dawdlesome
Every word from English doddle →