Cuddle Has No Known Origin
To cuddle is to hold close affectionately. Etymologists have never found where the word came from.
To cuddle is to hold someone close in affection. Its origin is a genuine blank: the word appears in the late sixteenth century with no clear ancestor. Suggestions include a dialect form of *coddle* or a nursery word, but none has been established. It joins *banter*, *dog* and *bad* among common English words with no traceable source.
- To hold affectionately. *Cuddle the baby.*
- An affectionate hold. *A quick cuddle.*
- Cuddle up — to settle close. *Cuddled up on the sofa.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | cuddle | Cuddle the dog. |
| Past | cuddled | They cuddled. |
| Noun | cuddle | A long cuddle. |
| Adjective | cuddly | A cuddly toy. |
| Related | snuggle | Snuggle down. |
How it is used in a sentence
- She cuddled the sleeping child.Verb.
- A cuddly toy.Soft and pleasant to hold.
- They snuggled under the blanket.A near synonym.
Common words with unknown origins
- dog — replaced Old English *hund* with no known source
- bad — no accepted etymology
- big — origin unknown
- banter — appeared as London slang in the 1670s
- cuddle — no established ancestor
First recorded around 1520. Possibly a dialect variant of *coddle*, to treat tenderly, but the connection is unproven.
Cuddle or snuggle?
Cuddle emphasises holding another person. Snuggle emphasises settling into a comfortable position, which you can do alone.
Are there many words with unknown origins?
More than you would expect. Dog, bad, big and boy are all common words whose ancestry has never been established.