piddle
/ˈpɪdəl/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.78 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
(Often followed by about or around): to act or work ineffectually and wastefully.
Intransitive verb
Example Sentences
- "The spunk with his piddle comes bubbling."
- "Piddle, urine; occ. the act of making water."
- "On the way out to the gardens, he had to stop for a piddle but was so weak he couldn't maintain his balance while lifting his rear leg."
- "It's the alteration of the little words that makes all the difference between Poetry & piddle."
- "[…] neuer ceaſinge piddeling about theyr bowe and ſhaftes, when they be well, […]"
- "I watch Dag and Claire piddle about the desert[.]"
Etymology
Unknown. Compare regional German piddlen, pitteln, pütteln, pühteln (“to pick at something, pick at one's food”), dialectal German Pitzel (“small effort, small task”). Alternatively, perhaps originally from paw or put + -le (suffix forming verbs involving continuous or repeated movement). In later use, a euphemistic diminutive of piss, though not directly related to it. The noun derives from the verb.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpɪdəl/
- British English: /ˈpɪd.l̩/
Usage
- Australian usage
- British usage
- Slang
- Intransitive verb
- Obsolete
Inflected Forms
piddles (plural)
piddel (alternative, obsolete)
pidle (alternative, obsolete)
piddles (present, singular)
piddling (participle, present)
piddled (participle, past)
piddled (past)