Addle Definition

ădl
addled, addles, addling
verb
addled, addles, addling
To cause (someone) to think unclearly; confuse.
American Heritage
To make or become rotten.
Webster's New World
To become confused.
American Heritage
To make or become muddled or confused.
Webster's New World
To become rotten, as an egg.
American Heritage
adjective
Rotten.
Webster's New World
Muddled; confused.
Addlebrained.
Webster's New World

Having lost the power of development, and become rotten, as eggs; putrid.

Wiktionary

(by extension) Unfruitful or confused, as brains; muddled. John Dryden.

Wiktionary
Addled.
Wiktionary
noun

(provincial) Lees; dregs.

Wiktionary
A foolish or dull-witted fellow.
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Addle

Noun

Singular:
addle
Plural:
addles

Origin of Addle

  • Middle English adel (“rotten”), from Old English adel, adela (“mire, pool, liquid excrement”), from Proto-Germanic *adalaz, *adalą (“cattle urine, liquid manure”). Akin to Saterland Frisian adel "dung", Middle Low German adele "mud, liquid manure" (Dutch aal "puddle"), Old Swedish adel "urine".

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle English addlen, from Old English edlēan (“reward, pay-back”), edlēanian (“to reward, recompense”); or of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse ǫðlask (“to gain possession of property”), from ōðal (“owndom, property”).

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle English adel rotten from Old English adel pool of excrement

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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