hiddle

/ˈhɪdəl/

Etymology

Borrowed from Scots hiddle, from Middle Scots hiddill, from Early Scots hyddyll, an alteration, due to final s mistaken for the plural ending, of hyddlys (“hiding-place, concealment”), from Old English hȳdels (“a place of concealment, hiding-place, cavern, cave”), equivalent to hide + -le. For loss of final s compare burial, riddle. More at hide, huddle.

hiddle means A hiding-place; a sheltered spot. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

Why this word is great

HIDDLE — [Noun/Verb] A hiding-place or close cluster; to hide, conceal, or nestle closely. Its etymology winds from Scots *hiddle*, from Middle Scots *hiddill*, from Early Scots *hyddyll*, an alteration of *hyddlys* ("hiding-place"), from Old English *hȳdels* ("a place of concealment"), from *hȳdan* ("to hide") + the nominal suffix *-els*. Unlike "huddle," which suggests a public, collective pressing together, or "lair," which implies a menacing, bestial den, a hiddle is a private, neutral recess. It is the child's breathless silence in the curtain-folds of a wardrobe, the rabbit's motionless form in the deep bracken, the warm hollow under the roots of a storm-felled oak—a small, sovereign claim against the world's relentless finding.

noun

A hiding-place; a sheltered spot.
A cluster, small group of buildings, etc. set close together; a huddle.

verb

To hide; conceal.
To nestle closely; take shelter.
To shelter (in one's arms).