a leafless parasitic plant, Cuscuta gronovii, having dense clusters of small, white, bell-shaped flowers on orange-yellow stems that twine about clover or flax.
1225-75;Middle Englishdoder; cognate with Dutch,Danishdodder,Middle Low Germandod(d)er,Middle High Germantoter,GermanDotter
Examples from the web for dodder
The parasitic dodder plant knows how to sniff out its prey.
dodder has rootlike parts called haustoria that attach to the host plant, so it can feed on its nutrients.
Growers also encounter unusual problems such as the parasitic seed plant dodder.
British Dictionary definitions for dodder
dodder1
/ˈdɒdə/
verb (intransitive)
1.
to move unsteadily; totter
2.
to shake or tremble, as from age
Derived Forms
dodderer, noun doddery, adjective
Word Origin
C17: variant of earlier dadder; related to Norwegian dudra to tremble
dodder2
/ˈdɒdə/
noun
1.
any rootless parasitic plant of the convolvulaceous genus Cuscuta, lacking chlorophyll and having slender twining stems with suckers for drawing nourishment from the host plant, scalelike leaves, and whitish flowers
Word Origin
C13: of Germanic origin; related to Middle Dutch, Middle Low German dodder, Middle High German toter
Word Origin and History for dodder
v.
1610s, perhaps from Middle English daderen "to quake, tremble" (late 15c.), apparently frequentative of dialectal dade, on a form similar to totter, patter. Related: Doddered; doddering.