The act of embracing, cuddling, or showing physical affection; archaic term for caressing.
From Old English 'col' meaning embrace or caress, related to Old Frisian 'kolla.' This word fell out of common use but survives in dialect and historical texts, showing how words for intimacy change across centuries.
Shakespeare and earlier writers used 'colling' to describe romantic embraces, but the word sounded old-fashioned even then—it shows how English constantly recycles emotional vocabulary.
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