# dandle

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈdændəl/

## Definitions
1. To move up and down on one's knee or in one's arms, in affectionate play, usually said of a child.
2. To treat with fondness or affection, as if a child; to pet.
3. To play with; to wheedle.

## Etymology
Compare Scots dandill (“to dander; go about idly; move uncertainly; trifle”), English dialectal dander (“to wander about; talk incoherently; rave”), Middle Dutch dantinnen (“to trifle”) (from French dandiner (“to swing; waddle”)), German dändeln, tändeln (“to trifle, dandle”), Middle Dutch and Provincial German danten (“to do foolish things; trifle”), German Tand (“trifle, prattle”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dandle