Wiktionary

cosset

English

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Etymology

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Perhaps from Middle English cotsete, from Old English cotsǣta (“cottager”), from cot (“cottage”) (Modern English cot (“cottage”) (archaic)) + -sǣta (“-sitter”); compare coscet. Compare German Hauslamm (literally “house lamb”), Italian casiccio.[1]

Pronunciation

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Verb

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cosset (third-person singular simple present cossets, present participle cosseting or cossetting, simple past and past participle cosseted or cossetted)

  1. (transitive) To treat like a pet; to overly indulge. [from 1650s][1]
    The car cossets its occupants in comfort.
  2. (transitive) To fondle; to touch or stroke lovingly.
    The foam cossets your skin.
  3. (transitive, figurative) To benefit; to make life easy for.
    • 2023 August 17, Aditya Chakrabortty, “Can’t pay and they really do take it away: what happens when the bailiffs come knocking”, in The Guardian‎[1]:
      An independent oversight body is just setting up, but at full strength it will have a core team of just five. This is a state of affairs that cossets and enriches bailiffs at the expense of families who’ve fallen into debt.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Painting by Rudolf Epp showing children with a pet lamb or cosset.

Noun

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cosset (plural cossets)

  1. A pet, usually a pet lamb. [from 1570s][1]
  2. Someone indulged or cosseted. [from 1590s][1]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “cosset”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

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Catalan

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Etymology

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From cos +‎ -et.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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cosset m (plural cossets)

  1. diminutive of cos (“body”)
  2. bodice

Further reading

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