Pamper
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈpæmpə(ɹ)/
- Rhymes: -æmpə(ɹ)
Origin
From Middle English pamperen ("to cram with food"), from Middle Dutch *pamperen ("to cram with food"), frequentative of *pampen ("to stuff"), from Proto-Germanic *pamp- ("to swell"), from Proto-Indo-European *bamb- ("round object"), equivalent to pamp + -er. Cognate with Middle Low German pampen ("to stuff oneself"), German dialectal pampfen ("to cram"), Danish dialectal pampe ("to boast, brag").
Full definition of pamper
Verb
- To treat with excessive care, attention or indulgence.
- 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 13, And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them. Soft heartedness caused more harm than good.
- (dated) To feed luxuriously.