mollycoddle
pronunciation
How to pronounce mollycoddle in British English:
UK [ˈmɒlikɒdl]
How to pronounce mollycoddle in American English:
US [ˈmɑlikɒdl]
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- Noun:
- a pampered darling; an effeminate man
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- Verb:
- treat with excessive indulgence
Word Origin
- mollycoddle (v.)
- also molly-coddle, 1870, from a noun (1833) meaning "one who coddles himself," from Molly (pet name formation from Mary), which had been used contemptuously since 1754 for "a milksop, an effeminate man," + coddle (q.v.). Related: Mollycoddled; mollycoddling.