coddles
Treats too gently
Coddles means to treat with excessive care or indulgence, often implying overprotection: She coddles her youngest child.
The word carries a note of criticism—coddling someone may prevent them from developing resilience or independence.
Coddle also means to cook eggs gently in water just below boiling, though this culinary sense is less common than the pampering one.
pampers
Lavishes excessive care upon
mollycoddles · dotes · fusses · overprotects · shelters · smothers · hovers · caters · cossets · pets
poaches
Cooks in liquid below boiling
- simmersCooks near boiling
- eggsReproductive cells in shells
- water-bathContainer in heated liquid
yolks · whites · ramekins · breakfast · brunch · runny · custard · ceramic · lidded · stovetop
coddlesabuses
Misuses or mistreats
mistreats · brutalizes · neglects · maltreats · harasses
coddleshardens
Becomes firm or solid
challenges · disciplines · pushes · tests · steels
- coddled eggGently heated in shell