Other forms: dangling, dangled, dangles
To dangle is to hold or hang something so that it swings loose. Dangle a key, legs dangling, dangling from a branch.
The essential part is that it hangs freely and moves: something fixed hangs, and something loose dangles. Figuratively, to dangle something in front of somebody is to offer a temptation without giving it — dangle a promotion. Note a dangling modifier, which is the grammar fault where a phrase attaches to the wrong noun and produces sentences about walking dogs that write letters.
1verbdangleTo hold or hang something so that it swings loose.
“The child sat on the high wall, dangling her legs over the edge.”
2verbtemptationTo offer a temptation without giving it.
“The company dangled the promise of a promotion to stop him from leaving.”
dangle is a loose hanging.
The origin is uncertain, probably Scandinavian, related to Danish dingle and Swedish dangla, to swing about. The whole family is about loose swinging motion.
Old Norse
dengja — to hit
frr
dangeln
English, today
dangle
unknown, but likely of gmq - origin, akin to Danish dingle, dangle, Swedish dangla (“to swing about”), Norwegian dangla, perhaps via frr dangeln; all possibly related to Old Norse dengja (“to hit”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Holding & Carrying