Pudge
/pʌdʒ/noun
A small, soft, or chubby body; also used as a nickname or term of affection.
Did you know?English pudge is historically linked to older words meaning a protuberance or swelling, the same rough semantic world that produced words like pod and pouch.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
English
pudge
“A lump, swelling, or protuberance; later, a short, fat person”
Early Modern English
English
pudgy
“Stout, plump, or chubby”
Middle English
English
podge
“A mass, lump, or thick mixture”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bheu-
“Not applicable with certainty; the exact deep root is uncertain in standard references”