dabble

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to take part in an activity casually or without serious commitment

   She likes to dabble in photography on weekends.

2. 2
   verb

   to move the hands, feet, or bill about playfully in shallow water

   The children sat on the bank and dabbled their feet in the stream.

3. 3
   verb

   literary: to wet, splash, or stain something with liquid

   His silver hair was dabbled with blood after the attack.

From earlier dable, probably a frequentative formation related to dab and perhaps influenced by Middle Dutch dabbelen, meaning to fumble, knead, or splash. The literal water sense preceded the figurative idea of engaging only superficially.

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