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tr.v. rad·dled, rad·dling, rad·dles To twist together; interweave. [From dialectal raddle, stick interwoven with others in a fence, from Anglo-Norman reidele, stout pole, possibly from Middle High German reidel, rod; see reidh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
n. & v. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
tr.v. rad·dled, rad·dling, rad·dles To cause to have a worn-out appearance, especially in having wrinkles or deep creases: "[She] was attractive to men and to women, until her diet of alcohol and cigarettes ... raddled her beauty" (Jeanette Winterson). [Origin unknown.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
rud·dle  (rŭdl) also red·dle (rĕdl) or rad·dle (rădl)
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Tweet n. Red ocherous iron ore, used in dyeing and marking. tr.v. rud·dled, rud·dling, rud·dles also red·dled or red·dling or red·dles or rad·dled or rad·dling or rad·dles To dye or mark with or as if with red ocher: ruddle sheep. [Probably diminutive of rud, red, from Middle English rudde, from Old English rudu; see reudh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
