canoodle

Meaning

Verb

1. To caress, pet, feel up, or make love.
2. To cajole or persuade.

Noun

1. A cuddle, hug, or caress
2. (UK, dialectal) A fool or foolish lover.
3. (UK, dialectal) A donkey.

Synonyms

snog

caress

cuddle

fondle

mack

make out

neck

smooch

bosom

suck face

Translations

schmusen

retocar

nachbessern

besotejar

knutschen

bécoter

😗

graponejar

abknutschen

wiederholt küssen

eine Retusche vornehmen

retoucher

baisoter

grapejar

faire des mamours

palpejar

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kəˈnuːdl̩/

Etymology

Cognate with Swedish: knulla

Cognate with Norwegian Bokmål: knulle

Cognate with German: knuddeln

In summary

Origin obscure. Probably from German knuddeln (“to cuddle”), related to German Knoten (“knot”) and originally meaning "embrace tightly". Compare also Swedish knulla (“to fuck”), Norwegian Bokmål knulle (“to fuck”), from Proto-Germanic *knuzlijaną (“beat, mash”) (compare the semantics of the Scandinavian cognates of fuck).
Folk etymology cites the use of two-person canoes (+ paddles) as an activity to escape the presence of a chaperon by couples during Victorian and Edwardian times, and the activities such privacy allowed.