A person who plays the fiddle (violin), especially in folk or country music traditions. Can also refer to someone who fidgets or tinkers with things unnecessarily.
From 'fiddle' plus agent suffix '-er'. 'Fiddle' comes from Old English 'fithele' and Latin 'vitula', possibly related to 'vitulari' meaning 'to celebrate'. The secondary meaning of 'tinkering' developed from the restless motion associated with fidgeting.
A fiddler occupies a special cultural niche - while violinists play classical music, fiddlers play from the heart of folk tradition, often without reading music. The distinction reflects deep cultural divides between formal and informal musical education, with 'fiddling around' capturing the playful, experimental spirit of folk music.
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