I. ˈdaŋ-gəl verb
( dan·gled ; dan·gling -g(ə-)liŋ)
Etymology: probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish dangle to dangle
Date: 1565
intransitive verb
1. : to hang loosely and usually so as to be able to swing freely
2. : to be a hanger-on or a dependent
3. : to occur in a sentence without having a normally expected syntactic relation to the rest of the sentence (as climbing in “Climbing the mountain the cabin came into view”)
a dangling participle
a dangling modifier
transitive verb
1. : to cause to dangle : swing
dangled her feet in the water
2.
a. : to keep hanging uncertainly
b. : to hold out as an inducement
• dan·gler -g(ə-)lər noun
II. noun
Date: 1756
1. : the action of dangling
2. : something that dangles