He was no gadder abroad, credible Authors avouching that he never went out of his Cell; though both Cambridge and Rome pretend to his habitation. a. 1662 (date written), Thomas Fuller, “Durham”, in The History of the Worthies of England, London: […] J[ohn] G[rismond,] W[illiam] L[eybourne] and W[illiam] G[odbid], published 1662, →OCLC, page 293:
Etymology tree
English gad
Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.
Proto-Italic *-āzios
Latin -āriusnom.
Latin -āriusbor.
Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz
Proto-West Germanic *-ārī
Old English -ere
Middle English -ere
English -er
English gadder
From gad (“pointed metal tool”) + -er.
Meanings
(historical) A drilling or perforating machine or apparatus for mining and mineral exploration.