addle
pronunciation
How to pronounce addle in British English:
UK [ˈædl]
How to pronounce addle in American English:
US [ˈædəl]
-
- Verb:
- mix up or confuse
- become rotten
Word Origin
- addle (v.)
- 1712, from addle (n.) "urine, liquid filth," from Old English adela "mud, mire, liquid manure" (cognate with Old Swedish adel "urine," Middle Low German adel, Dutch aal "puddle"). Used in noun phrase addle egg (mid-13c.) "egg that does not hatch, rotten egg," literally "urine egg," a loan-translation of Latin ovum urinum, which is itself an erroneous loan-translation of Greek ourion oon "putrid egg," literally "wind egg," from ourios "of the wind" (confused by Roman writers with ourios "of urine," from ouron "urine"). Because of this usage, from c. 1600 the noun in English was taken as an adjective meaning "putrid," and thence given a figurative extension to "empty, vain, idle," also "confused, muddled, unsound" (1706). The verb followed a like course. Related: Addled; addling.
Example
- 1. Because it can decelerate the speed of food addle .
- 2. She went on playing first addle in the band .
- 3. Addle one 's brain over figures .
- 4. Unfortunately , the judge was an addle man .
- 5. Problems that addle my brain ;