fondling en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈfɒndlɪŋ/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From fond + -ling.
Meanings
-
(obsolete) A foolish person.
'How can you say I am harsh, you naughty fondling?' cried the mistress, amazed at the unreasonable assertion.
1847, Emily Brontë, chapter 10, in Wuthering Heights, volume I:Yet were her words and lookes but false and fayned, / To some hid end to make more easie way, / Or to allure such fondlings whom she trayned / Into her trap […].
1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
- A pet or person who is fondled; someone who is much loved.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| fondlings | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
Translations (5)
ru люби́мец (a pet or person) · bg галеник (a pet or person) · ga dalta (a pet or person) · bg любимец (a pet or person) · ru люби́мица (a pet or person)