fondling
noun/ˈfɒnd(ə)lɪŋ/ · [ˈfɒn.dɫ̩.ɪŋ]
Etymology From fondle + -ing.
1
The act of caressing; manifestation of tenderness.
- amorous fondling1835, Emma Whitehead, Pierce Falcon, the Outcast:
fondling
noun/ˈfɒndlɪŋ/
Etymology From fond + -ling.
1
Obsolete A foolish person.
- Yet were her words and lookes but false and fayned, / To some hid end to make more easie way, / Or to allure such fondlings whom she trayned / Into her trap […].1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
- 'How can you say I am harsh, you naughty fondling?' cried the mistress, amazed at the unreasonable assertion.1847, Emily Brontë, chapter 10, in Wuthering Heights, volume I:
2
A pet or person who is fondled; someone who is much loved.
- Related terms
- fondler