dabbler

dab·ble

D0001400 (dăb′əl)v. dab·bled, dab·bling, dab·bles v.tr. To splash or spatter with or as if with a liquid: "The moon hung over the harbor dabbling the waves with gold" (Katherine Mansfield).v.intr.1. To splash liquid gently and playfully.2. To undertake something superficially or without serious intent: "The restaurant business entails more than ... dabbling in interior design" (Andy Birsh).3. To feed by moving the bill back and forth just below the surface or on the bottom in shallow water. Used of ducks.

---

[Possibly from Dutch dabbelen, frequentative of dabben, to strike, tap.]

---

dab′bler n.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	dabbler - an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledgedilettante, sciolistamateur - someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime
	2.	dabbler - any of numerous shallow-water ducks that feed by upending and dabblingdabbling duckduck - small wild or domesticated web-footed broad-billed swimming bird usually having a depressed body and short legs

dabbler

nounOne lacking professional skill and ease in a particular pursuit:amateur, dilettante, nonprofessional, smatterer, uninitiate.

Translations