Fondle
/ˈfɒn.dəl/noun
To touch or handle lovingly, affectionately, or in a sexually suggestive way.
Did you know?“Fondle” is a later intensification of “fond,” and the older sense of *fond* could mean foolish or silly before it came to mean affectionate—proof that words can flip from weakness to warmth.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
fōn
“to seize, grasp, or take hold of”
Middle English
ME
fond
“foolish, silly, or weak-minded”
15th–16th Century
English
fond
“affectionate, tender, overly loving”
16th Century
English
fondle
“to treat affectionately; to caress or pet”
Modern English
English
fondle
“to touch or handle lovingly or sexually suggestively”