spraddle

Meanings

Verb

• To spread apart (the legs).
• To spread apart the legs of (someone or something).
• To lie, move, or stand with legs spread.

Noun

• A manner of walking with the legs spread out.

Origin

• Origin uncertain; possibly from sprad, an obsolete dialectal past participle of spread; or a or , or perhaps from Middle English *spraddelen; a frequentative form of Middle English spradden, spraden, sprēden, from Old English sprǣdan ("to expand, spread; to outspread, stretch forth"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- ("to sow, sprinkle, strew"), equivalent to spread + -le. Compare also dialectal Norwegian spradla ("to flail, squirm, thrash about").