doodle

 
Pronunciation: /ˈduːd(ə)l/

verb

[no object]
  • scribble absent-mindedly: he was only doodling in the margin

noun

  • a rough drawing made absent-mindedly: the text was interspersed with doodles

Derivatives

doodler

noun

Origin:

early 17th century (originally as a noun denoting a fool, later as a verb in the sense 'make a fool of, cheat'): from Low German dudeltopf, dudeldopp 'simpleton'. Current senses date from the 1930s