Other forms: fondling, fondled, fondles
To fondle is to stroke and handle affectionately. Fondle the cat, fondled the coin, fondle a pet.
The word has narrowed unpleasantly: it once covered any affectionate handling and is now heard as sexual unless the object is an animal or an object, which is why it needs care. Note fond, from which it comes — and that fond once meant foolish, from an old word for a fool.
1verbfondleTo stroke and handle affectionately.
“The old man fondled the puppy's soft ears as it sat on his lap.”
fondle is an affectionate handling.
Middle English
fond
English
fond
English, today
fondle
Built from
From fond + -le. fond comes from Middle English fond, fonned, past participle of fonnen (“to be foolish, be simple, dote”), equivalent to fon + -ed. More at fon.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA