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Today it means

dangle

to hang loosely, swinging or moving freely

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Where does the word "dangle" come from? It comes from Scandinavian dangla, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).

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Where does the word "dangle" come from? It comes from Scandinavian dangla, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).

Dangle’s story begins in Scandinavian: dangla meant “to hang loosely.” Related to Danish 'dangle' and Swedish 'dängla', to swing. It reached English by 1600s as dangle. Settled as the English word for hanging loosely and swinging. Today, dangle means to hang loosely, swinging or moving freely.

  1. Stage 1 · Scandinavian · medieval dangla "to hang loosely", related to Danish 'dangle' and Swedish 'dängla', to swing.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1600s dangle "to hang loosely, swinging", settled as the English word for hanging loosely and swinging.

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