英和和英

語源

Uncertain. Perhaps continuing 中期英語 wedlen (“to beg, ask for alms”), from 古期英語 wǣdlian (“to be poor, be needy, be in want, beg”), from Proto-Germanic *wēþlōną (“to be in need”).

Alternatively (Can this etymology be sourced?), borrowed from German wedeln (“to wag one's tail”), from Middle High German wedelen, a byform of Middle High German wadelen (“to wander, waver, wave, whip, stroke, flutter”), from Old High German wādalōn (“to wander, roam, rove”). In this case, it may be a doublet of waddle, or an independently formed etymological equivalent.

The ⟨wh⟩ spelling (reflecting pronunciations with /ʍ/) is apparently unetymological. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “What is the origin of the "wh"?”)

発音

• (without the wine–whine merger) IPA: /ˈʍiː.dəl/
• (wine–whine merger) IPA: /ˈwiː.dəl/
• 韻: -iːdəl

動詞

wheedle (third-person singular simple present wheedles, present participle wheedling, simple past and past participle wheedled)

1. (ambitransitive) To cajole or attempt to persuade by flattery.

   Synonyms: butter up, inveigle, sweet-talk; see also Thesaurus:coax

   I’d like one of those, too, if you can wheedle him into telling you where he got it.

   • 1951, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Wife of Bath's Tale”, in Nevill Coghill, transl., The Canterbury Tales: Translated into Modern English (Penguin Classics), Penguin Books, published 1977, page 290:

     Though he had beaten me in every bone / He still could wheedle me to love.

2. (transitive) To obtain by flattery, guile, or trickery.
   • 1700, [William] Congreve, The Way of the World, a Comedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act III, scene xviii, page 51:

     If the worſt come to the worſt,—I'll turn my Wife to Graſs—I already have a deed of Settlement of the beſt part of her Eſtate; which I wheadl'd out of her; [...]

派生語

• wheedler
• wheedling
• wheedlesome

名詞

wheedle (plural wheedles)

1. (archaic) A coaxing person.

アナグラム

• wheeled