Word of the Day

: February 14, 2011

canoodle

verb kuh-NOO-dul

What It Means

: to engage in amorous embracing, caressing, and kissing

canoodle in Context

Chaperones watched for couples attempting to sneak under the gymnasium's bleachers to canoodle.

"The honeymooners are ubiquitous. They cuddle on the beaches, and they maneuver kayaks across the clear, turquoise waterways. They hold hands and canoodle at dinner in dimly lit restaurants." -- From an article by Ron Donoho in San Diego Magazine, January 2009

Did You Know?

The origins of "canoodle" are obscure. Our best guess is that it may come from an English dialect noun of the same spelling meaning "donkey, fool, or foolish lover," which itself may be an alteration of the word "noodle," meaning "a foolish person." That "noodle" in turn may come from "noddle," a word for the head. The guess seems reasonable given that, since its appearance in the language around the mid-19th century, "canoodle" has been most often used jocularly for playful public displays of affection by couples who are head over heels in love.