The present participle of 'addle'; the act of confusing or becoming confused.
From 'addle' + '-ing' (present participle suffix). The gerund form allows 'addling' to function as both verb and noun, as in 'the addling of eggs' or 'his addling mind.'
Addling perfectly captures the process of mental confusion—the metaphor of eggs literally becoming scrambled and confused inside their shells is so vivid that it stuck around English for over a thousand years!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.