doodle
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doodle¹
- /ˈduːdl̩/ UK
- /ˈdud(ə)l/ US
Rhymes with -uːdəl
Where it comes from
Originally dialectal, from Low German dudeldopp (“simpleton”). Influenced by dawdle. Compare also German dudeln (“to play (the bagpipe)”).
The word doodle first appeared in the early 17th century to mean a fool or simpleton. German variants of the etymon include Dudeltopf, Dudentopf, Dudenkopf, Dude and Dödel. American English dude may be a derivation of doodle.
The meaning "fool, simpleton" is intended in the song title "Yankee Doodle", originally sung by British colonial troops prior to the American Revolutionary War. This is also the origin of the early eighteenth century verb to doodle, meaning "to swindle or to make a fool of". The modern meaning emerged in the 1930s either from this meaning or from the verb "to dawdle", which since the seventeenth century has had the meaning of wasting time or being lazy.
noun doodles
- A fool, a simpleton, a mindless person. Mrs. Sneak. Why doodle! jackanapes! harkee, who am I? Sneak. Come, don't go to call names: am I? vhy my vife, and I am your master.
-
A small mindless sketch, etc.
Similar: doodling
- The penis. His doodle hung as limp as last month's celery.
verb doodles · doodling · doodled
- To draw or scribble aimlessly. The bored student doodled a submarine in his notebook.
- To engage in something non-seriously; fiddle. I've been expecting women's music finally to discover New Wave and technopop, and this album is the evidence that someone has been peaking ^([sic]) at music videos and doodling around with sythesizers.
- To drone like a bagpipe.
doodle²
- /ˈduːdl̩/ UK
- /ˈdud(ə)l/ US
Rhymes with -uːdəl
Where it comes from
Extracted from Labradoodle, itself a blend of labrador and poodle
noun doodles
- Any crossbreed of a poodle with a different breed of dog.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: doo, journal, diary, newspaper, dipsy, yankee, doodlehead, doodlebug, doodlebrain, dote, dorkus, doodoohead, flap doodle, whangdoodle, dorkface, dizard
Translations
Every language
noun a fool, simpleton
| Deutsch | Dummkopf, Einfaltspinsel |
|---|---|
| Italiano | cazzone |
| Русский | болва́н bolván, проста́к prosták, простофи́ля prostofílja, о́лух ólux, дереве́нщина derevénščina, лоботря́с lobotrjás |
noun small mindless sketch
| Español | garabato, garrapato, monigote, garabateo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 落書き rakugaki |
| 中文 | 塗鴉 /涂鸦 túyā |
| Português | rabisco, garatuja |
| Français | griffonnage, gribouillis |
| Deutsch | Gekritzel, Kritzelei |
| Italiano | scarabocchio, scarabocchi, girigogolo |
| Русский | кара́кули karákuli, закорю́чка zakorjúčka, ду́длинг dúdling |
noun penis
| Français | zizi |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Penis, Schwanz |
| Italiano | pene |
| Русский | писю́н pisjún, пи́ська písʹka, пипи́ська pipísʹka |
verb to draw or scribble aimlessly
| Español | garabatear |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 落書き |
| Português | rabiscar, garatujar |
| Français | griffonner, gribouiller |
| Deutsch | kritzeln |
| Italiano | scarabocchiare |
| Русский | чиркать čirkatʹ |
Talk about this word "doodle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/doodle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. doodle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/doodle "doodle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/doodle.Cite this
@misc{doodle_2026,
title = {doodle},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/doodle},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
