fondle
verb
- to touch or handle gently or intimately, caress
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈfɒndəl/
noun
Etymology: Etymology tree English fond English -le English fondle From fond (“love, admire”) + -le (frequentative suffix).
- A caress.
“I gave the sleeping dog's ears a fondle as I walked past.”
verb
Etymology: Etymology tree English fond English -le English fondle From fond (“love, admire”) + -le (frequentative suffix).
- To touch or stroke lovingly.
“Mothers fondle their babies.”
“idly fondling the cat's ears”
- To grasp.
“The lovers fondled each other.”