coddle
verb
[ ˈkɒd(ə)l ]
• treat (someone) in an indulgent or overprotective way.
• "I was coddled and cosseted"
Similar:
pamper,
cosset,
mollycoddle,
wait on someone hand and foot,
cater to someone's every whim,
spoil,
indulge,
overindulge,
humour,
pander to,
spoon-feed,
overparent,
pet,
baby,
mother,
nanny,
wrap in cotton wool,
feather-bed,
cocker,
Opposite:
neglect,
treat harshly,
be strict with,
• cook (an egg) in water below boiling point.
• "you may have your eggs scrambled, poached, coddled, or boiled"
Origin:
late 16th century (in the sense ‘boil (fruit) gently’): origin uncertain; coddle (sense 1) is probably a dialect variant of obsolete caudle ‘administer invalids' gruel’, based on Latin caldum ‘hot drink’, from calidus ‘warm’.
