dabble
VerbUS[dab-uhl]/ˈdæbəl/2 syllables
Open English WordNet
Verb (4)dabbled, dabbling
- dip a foot or hand briefly into a liquidMore general dunk, dip
- play in or as if in water, as of small childrenSynonyms: paddlesplash aroundMore general play
- work with in an amateurish manner“She dabbles in astronomy”“He plays around with investments but he never makes any money”Synonyms: smatterplay aroundMore general busy, occupy
- bob forward and under so as to feed off the bottom of a body of water“dabbling ducks”More general bob
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perniciousadjective
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Dab′ble (dăb′b'l), transitive verb [past tense & past participle Dabbled (dăb′b'ld); present participle & verbal noun Dabbling (dăb′blĭng).]
Origin: Freq. of dab: cf. OD. dabbelen.
To wet by little dips or strokes; to spatter; to sprinkle; to moisten; to wet. “Bright hair dabbled in blood.” William Shakespeare
Dab′ble intransitive verb
1. To play in water, as with the hands; to paddle or splash in mud or water.
Where the duck dabbles 'mid the rustling sedge.— William Wordsworth
2. To work in slight or superficial manner; to do in a small way; to tamper; to meddle. “Dabbling here and there with the text.” Francis Atterbury
During the first year at Dumfries, Burns for the first time began to dabble in politics.— John C. Shairp
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54