waddle
A squat, swaying gaitA squat, swaying gait.
» The ducks are waddling around the pond.
casaniere · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
2 sensesA squat, swaying gait.
the waddle of a duck
watschelnder Gang, Watscheln
A group of birds, such as ducks and penguins, when walking.
- walking with short steps and the weight tilting from one foot to the other
Examples
10 sentencesThe ducks are waddling around the pond.
Very fat people waddle when they walk, though few of them realize it.
Tom waddled like a penguin.
Quacking excitedly, she waddled up to me and ate the worm out of my hand.
deAufgeregt quakend kam sie auf mich zugewatschelt und fraß mir den Wurm aus der Hand. — brauchinet
She pulled herself out of the water and waddled along the sand at the edge of the creek.
Translations
2 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
From Middle English wadelen, frequentative form of waden, equivalent to wade + -le. ComparFrom Middle English wadelen, frequentative form of waden, equivalent to wade + -le. Compare Saterland Frisian wuttelje (“to waddle”), Old High German wadalōn (“to roam; wander”), Middle High German wadelen, wedelen (“to wander; rove”), German wedeln (“to waggle”).
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