fiddle

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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfɪd(ə)l/
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• General-American: fĭdʹl
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• General-American: /ˈfɪdl̩/
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• General-American: [ˈfɪɾl̩]
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -ɪdəl
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• CMU ARPABET: F IH1 D AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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From Middle English fithele, from Old English *fiþele, from Proto-West Germanic *fiþulā, from Proto-Germanic *fiþulǭ (“fiddle”), of uncertain etymology. Some contest that the Germanic terms are borrowed variations of Late Latin vitula (see viola); others contest that the word has a separate origin within Germanic languages, and still others believe that the Late Latin term for the stringed instrument is a borrowing from Germanic as a change of Latin t to Germanic þ is highly improbable, yet Germanic þ to Latin t is well documented (see troop, trousers, Teobaldo, etc.). Cognate with Old High German fidula (German Fiedel), Middle Dutch vedele (Dutch vedel, veel), Old Norse fiðla (Icelandic fiðla, Danish fiddel, Norwegian fela, Swedish fela). The change from /ðl/ to /dl/ in modern English is regular; compare Bedlam, staddle, swaddle (in brothel, it was prevented; see that entry for discussion).

34 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Catalan: balancera — nautical: device or rail for keeping items on a surface while at sea
• Finnish: reunalista — nautical: device or rail for keeping items on a surface while at sea
• German: Schiffsgeländer — nautical: device or rail for keeping items on a surface while at sea
• Italian: parapetto — nautical: device or rail for keeping items on a surface while at sea
• Spanish: chanchullo — a scam; a fraud or swindle
• Spanish: componenda — a scam; a fraud or swindle
• Czech: šumařit — to play the violin in a folk or informal way
• Dutch: fiedelen — to play the violin in a folk or informal way
• Finnish: vinguttaa viulua — to play the violin in a folk or informal way
• Finnish: soittaa viulua — to play the violin in a folk or informal way
• Hungarian: hegedül — to play the violin in a folk or informal way
• Chinese Mandarin: 摸索 (mōsuǒ, mōsuo) — to play aimlessly
• Chinese Mandarin: 盤弄 /盘弄 — to play aimlessly
• Chinese Mandarin: 盤弄 /盘弄 (pánnòng) — to play aimlessly
• Czech: marnit — to play aimlessly
• Finnish: koheltaa — to play aimlessly
• Finnish: haaskata — to play aimlessly
• Finnish: räplätä — to play aimlessly
• French: bidouiller — to play aimlessly
• French: tripoter — to play aimlessly
• German: fummeln — to play aimlessly
• Japanese: いじり回す (ijirimawasu) — to play aimlessly
• Māori: rāwekeweke — to play aimlessly
• Māori: rahurahu — to play aimlessly
• Māori: raukoti — to play aimlessly
• Occitan: bidolhar — to play aimlessly
• Portuguese: vadiar — to play aimlessly
• Russian: тра́тить вре́мя по́пусту (trátitʹ vrémja pópustu) — to play aimlessly
• Russian: тереби́ть (terebítʹ) — to play aimlessly
• Russian: мять (mjatʹ) — to play aimlessly
• Spanish: toquetear — to play aimlessly
• Spanish: juguetear — to play aimlessly
• Spanish: chanchullar con — to fraudulently manipulate
• Spanish: chanchullear con — to fraudulently manipulate