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Added 10 October 2026

waddle

/ˈwɒd.əl/ noun

First recorded: 1400 Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about waddle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Walking with short steps and the weight tilting from one foot to the other.
ducks walk with a waddle

verb

Walk unsteadily.
small children toddle

Origin

From Middle English wadelen, frequentative form of waden, equivalent to wade + -le. Compare Saterland Frisian wuttelje (“to waddle”), Old High German wadalōn (“to roam; wander”), Middle High German wadelen, wedelen (“to wander; rove”), German wedeln (“to waggle”). First known use in English in a version of the Song of Roland around the year 1400.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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