Dodder
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 Any of about 100-170 species of yellow, orange or red (rarely green) parasitic plants of the genus Cuscuta. Formerly treated as the only genus in the family Cuscutaceae, it is now placed in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. countable, uncountable
- 2 a leafless annual parasitic vine of the genus Cuscuta having whitish or yellow filamentous stems; obtain nourishment through haustoria wordnet
- 1 To shake or tremble as one moves, especially as of old age or childhood; to totter. intransitive
"Yossarian responded to the thought by slipping away stealthily from the police and almost tripped over the feet of a burly woman of forty hastening across the intersection guiltily, darting furtive, vindictive glances behind her toward a woman of eighty with thick, bandaged ankles doddering after her in a losing pursuit."
- 2 walk unsteadily, with short steps wordnet
- 1 A river in Dublin, Ireland, a tributary of the Liffey.
Example
More examples"Yossarian responded to the thought by slipping away stealthily from the police and almost tripped over the feet of a burly woman of forty hastening across the intersection guiltily, darting furtive, vindictive glances behind her toward a woman of eighty with thick, bandaged ankles doddering after her in a losing pursuit."
Etymology
From Middle English daderen (“to quake, tremble”). Compare Norwegian dudra (“to tremble”).
From Middle English doder (“flax dodder”), from Middle Dutch doder, from Old Dutch *doder, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *dodr (viz. theories of origin). Cognate with Middle Low German doder, West Flemish dodder.
Related phrases
More for "dodder"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.