Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To hold fondly in the arms; hug tenderly. synonym: caress.
  • intransitive verb To nestle; snuggle.
  • noun The act of cuddling; a hug or embrace.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A hug; an embrace.
  • To hug; fondle; embrace so as to keep warm.
  • To join in a hug; embrace.
  • To lie close or snug; nestle.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To lie close or snug; to crouch; to nestle.
  • noun A close embrace.
  • transitive verb To embrace closely; to fondle.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A snuggle; an affectionate embrace, often used in conjunction with family members and close friends.
  • verb intransitive To embrace affectionately, lie together snugly.
  • verb transitive To cradle in one's arms so as to give comfort, warmth.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb hold (a person or thing) close, as for affection, comfort, or warmth
  • noun a close and affectionate (and often prolonged) embrace
  • verb move or arrange oneself in a comfortable and cozy position

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Origin unknown.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Origin uncertain, but probably from a frequentative form of Middle English *cudden, cuththen, keththen ("to embrace"), a variant of cuthen, kuthen, kithen ("to be familiar with, make known"), from cuth, couth ("known, familiar"), equivalent to couth +‎ -le. Cognate with Old Dutch kudden ("to come together, flock together"). More at couth.

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Examples

  • I tried to get him out of bed for ages but he wanted to cuddle and kept saying it wasn’t time yet so I had a cuddle…

    the-moo Diary Entry the-moo 2005

  • - Calling a cat in for a cuddle is way more effective than threats of violence when you want them to shut up in the middle of the night.

    Things I Have Learned kittenpie 2008

  • - Calling a cat in for a cuddle is way more effective than threats of violence when you want them to shut up in the middle of the night.

    Archive 2008-01-01 kittenpie 2008

  • My boys are now nearly 8, & 51/2 & 10 months - the only time I get anything that vaguely resembles a cuddle is when they are sick.

    A plague 2006

  • Steve gave me some rocks he called cuddle rocks in a note and I grimaced and tried not to and Dustin said: Girlfriend, you have to get it together.

    blog: November 2008 2008

  • Steve gave me some rocks he called cuddle rocks in a note and I grimaced and tried not to and Dustin said: Girlfriend, you have to get it together.

    blog: Over Committer 2008

  • The temptation to have a sleepy feed and morning cuddle is too much to resist.

    Girly girl 2005

  • The temptation to have a sleepy feed and morning cuddle is too much to resist.

    May 2005 2005

  • Oxytocin is sometimes called the cuddle hormone and is important for mother child bonding.

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2009

  • Oxytocin is sometimes called the cuddle hormone and is important for mother child bonding.

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2009

Comments

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  • We lay on the bed there

    Kissing just for practice

    Could we please be objective?

    Cause the other boys are queuing up behind us

    A hand over my mouth

    A hand over the window

    Well, if I remain passive and you just want to cuddle

    Then we should be ok, and we won't get in a muddle

    Cause we're seeing other people

    At least that's what we say we are doing.

    (Seeing other people, by Belle and Sebastian)

    September 18, 2008

  • Nice quote, Prolagus.

    May 4, 2009