striddle

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verb

To straddle.

OriginMiddle English striden ← Old English strīdan ← Proto-West Germanic *strīdan →
First used mid-15th c.Scrabble 10
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Meanings

verbstriddle (third-person singular simple present striddles, present participle striddling, simple past and past participle striddled)

present singular third person striddles · participle present striddling · participle past striddled · past striddled

  1. Northern EnglandScotlanddialectalTo straddle.First known use mid-15th c.

    I'm going along like a lame duck striddling a gutter.

    1890, George Manville Fenn, Cormorant Crag

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*strīdaną
  2. Proto-West Germanic*strīdan
  3. Old Englishstrīdan
  4. Middle Englishstriden
  5. Englishstriddle

Frequentative of Middle English striden (whence modern English stride), from Old English strīdan, from Proto-West Germanic *strīdan, from Proto-Germanic *strīdaną. Equivalent to stride + -le (frequentative suffix).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

striddle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/striddle

MLA

“striddle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/striddle. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “striddle,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/striddle.

Source: striddle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.