Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
wheedle en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈʍiː.dəl/ without the wine–whine merger
- /ˈwiː.dəl/ wine–whine merger
Etymology
Uncertain. Perhaps continuing Middle English wedlen (“to beg, ask for alms”), from Old English wǣdlian (“to be poor, be needy, be in want, beg”), from Proto-Germanic *wēþlōną (“to be in need”).
Alternatively , borrowed from German wedeln (“to wag one's tail”), from Middle High German wedelen, a byform of Middle High German wadelen (“to wander, waver, wave, whip, stroke, flutter”), from Old High German wādalōn (“to wander, roam, rove”). In this case, it may be a doublet of waddle, or an independently formed etymological equivalent.
The ⟨wh⟩ spelling (reflecting pronunciations with /ʍ/) is apparently unetymological.
Meanings
-
(archaic) A coaxing person.
Forms
wheedle en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈʍiː.dəl/ without the wine–whine merger
- /ˈwiː.dəl/ wine–whine merger
Etymology
Uncertain. Perhaps continuing Middle English wedlen (“to beg, ask for alms”), from Old English wǣdlian (“to be poor, be needy, be in want, beg”), from Proto-Germanic *wēþlōną (“to be in need”).
Alternatively , borrowed from German wedeln (“to wag one's tail”), from Middle High German wedelen, a byform of Middle High German wadelen (“to wander, waver, wave, whip, stroke, flutter”), from Old High German wādalōn (“to wander, roam, rove”). In this case, it may be a doublet of waddle, or an independently formed etymological equivalent.
The ⟨wh⟩ spelling (reflecting pronunciations with /ʍ/) is apparently unetymological.
Meanings
-
(ambitransitive) To cajole or attempt to persuade by flattery.
Though he had beaten me in every bone / He still could wheedle me to love.
1951, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Wife of Bath's Tale”, in Nevill Coghill, transl., The Canterbury Tales: Translated into Modern English (Penguin Classics), Penguin Books, published 1977, page 290:“Brother Peter,” he said, in a wheedling yet gravely official tone, “It’s nothing but right I should speak to you about the Three Crofts and the Manganese. The Almighty knows what I’ve got on my mind—”
1871–1872, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], Middlemarch […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book (please specify |book=I to VIII):[…]whether, after preventing her from being the wife of Sir Walter, he may not be wheedled and caressed at last into making her the wife of Sir William.
1817 (date written), [Jane Austen], Persuasion; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volume (please specify |volume=III or IV), London: John Murray, […], 20 December 1817 (indicated as 1818), →OCLC:Anyhow, you can't wheedle him this time. He's as bent as I am.
a. 1911, David Graham Phillips, Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise:I’d like one of those, too, if you can wheedle him into telling you where he got it.
-
(transitive) To obtain by flattery, guile, or trickery.
If the worſt come to the worſt,—I'll turn my Wife to Graſs—I already have a deed of Settlement of the beſt part of her Eſtate; which I wheadl'd out of her; [...]
1700, [William] Congreve, The Way of the World, a Comedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act III, scene xviii, page 51:She tore off my cap, scratched, kicked, and buffetted me, till she had exhausted her strength, declaring, as she rested her arm, ‘that I had wheedled her husband from her.
1798, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, “[Maria: or, The] Wrongs of Woman”, in W[illiam] Godwin, editor, Posthumous Works of the Author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […]; and G[eorge,] G[eorge] and J[ohn] Robinson, […], →OCLC:[…]when their best resources were the flitches of bacon and measures of corn, out of which they wheedled poor serfs and bondsmen, in exchange for their prayers[…]
1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC:
Forms
Deriveds
wheedlesome · wheedling · wheedler
Synonyms
honey around · whilly · word · cajole · inveigle · croodle · fast-talk · butter up · ingle · sweet-talk · butter up · inveigle · soft-sawder · sweeten · stroke · blandander · twist · fleech · coax · tweedle · engle · wheedle · blandish · hum · canoodle · soap · soft-soap · carny · collogue · sweet-talk · honey up
Translations (46)
de schmeicheln (cajole) · ru подли́зываться (cajole) · la lactō (cajole) · de abschmeicheln (obtain by guile or trickery) · cy truthio (cajole) · de erschmeicheln (obtain by guile or trickery) · mi pīnono (cajole) · ro linguși (cajole) · it ottenere con lusinghe (obtain by guile or trickery) · ru вы́манить ле́стью (obtain by guile or trickery) · fr amadouer (cajole) · cy hocedu (obtain by guile or trickery) · de herumkriegen (cajole) · de abbetteln (obtain by guile or trickery) · cy hudo (obtain by guile or trickery) · ro flata (cajole) · cs vymámit (obtain by guile or trickery) · cs přesvědčit (cajole) · uk ластитися (cajole) · de aus dem Kreuz leiern (obtain by guile or trickery) · cy cocsio (cajole) · cmn 誘哄 /诱哄 (cajole) · ru обха́живать (cajole) · de abschwatzen (obtain by guile or trickery) · es camelar (cajole) · uk виманювати лестощами (obtain by guile or trickery) · cs vyloudit (obtain by guile or trickery) · de abheucheln (obtain by guile or trickery) · cy twyllo (obtain by guile or trickery) · es engatusar (cajole) · cs přemluvit (cajole) · ru выма́нивать ле́стью (obtain by guile or trickery) · ru подлиза́ться (cajole) · de abschwätzen (obtain by guile or trickery) · ru прельща́ть (cajole) · de aus den Rippen leiern (obtain by guile or trickery) · mi pīnono (obtain by guile or trickery) · de umschmeicheln (cajole) · uk підлещуватися (cajole) · hu hízeleg (cajole) · ru ублажа́ть (cajole) · de überreden (cajole) · cy chwidlo (cajole) · fi lirkutella (cajole) · de beschwatzen (cajole) · sco tice (cajole)