Definition

1. Verb:

   • To walk or move in a shaky, unsteady, or trembling manner, typically due to old age or weakness: "dodder" describes the action of moving with a lack of stability, often with small, faltering steps.
   • To shake or tremble, as from age or frailty: It can also refer to a general state of physical shakiness or feebleness.

2. Noun:

   • A leafless, parasitic vine of the genus Cuscuta: "dodder" refers to a type of annual parasitic plant with slender, twining, often yellowish or whitish stems that derive nutrients from host plants.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • The old man began to dodder across the room. (He moved shakily and unsteadily across the room.)
  • Her hands would dodder as she tried to pour the tea. (Her hands trembled feebly while she attempted to pour.)
• Noun:
  • The field was infested with dodder, which strangled the crops. (The parasitic vine was overrunning the field and harming the plants.)
  • Dodder is a threat to many agricultural plants. (This parasitic plant is dangerous for many farmed crops.)

Advanced Usage

• "to dodder about/around": to move around in a shaky, feeble, or aimless manner.
  • Since his illness, he can only dodder about the house. (His movement is limited to shaky, unsteady walking inside the house.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dodderer (n): a person who dodders; someone who is feeble and shaky.
  • The kind nurse helped the old dodderer to his chair.
• Doddering (adj): shaky, feeble, or senile.
  • He spoke in a doddering voice.
• Doddery (adj): another adjective form meaning weak and unsteady, especially from age.
  • She is getting quite doddery on her feet.

Synonyms

• Verb: Totter, teeter, shuffle, falter, tremble, shake.
• Noun: (For the plant) Love vine, strangleweed, angel's hair.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Dodder along: to proceed in a slow, shaky, unsteady manner.
  • The elderly couple would dodder along the path every morning.

Related Idioms

• No specific common idioms center solely on the word "dodder." Its usage is typically literal, describing physical movement or the specific plant.

Noun

1. a leafless annual parasitic vine of the genus Cuscuta having whitish or yellow filamentous stems; obtain nourishment through haustoria

Verb

1. walk unsteadily
   • small children toddle