n.
- a small pool of liquid, especially of rainwater on the ground.
- clay and sand mixed with water and used as a watertight covering for embankments.
- Rowing a circular patch of disturbed water made by the blade of an oar at each stroke.
v.
- cover with or form puddles.
-
(puddle about/around)
dabble or wallow in mud or shallow water.
▸informal occupy oneself in a disorganized or unproductive way.
- line (a hole) with puddle.
▸knead (clay and sand) into puddle.
▸work (mixed water and clay) to separate gold or opal.
-
[usu. as noun puddling]
chiefly historical stir (molten iron) with iron oxide in a furnace, to produce wrought iron by oxidizing carbon.
Derivative
Etymology
ME: dimin. of OE pudd ‘ditch, furrow’; cf. Ger. dial. Pfudel ‘pool’.