Meaning

noun (informal) a quick private conference

noun a disorganized and densely packed crowd

verb crowd or draw together

originFrom Middle English *hudelen, alteration (due to hudels, hidels (“hiding place”), see hiddle) of *huderen, hoderen (“to cover; press together; huddle”), a frequentative form of Middle English huden, hiden (“to hide”), equivalent to hide + -le and/or hide + -er. Compare Low German huderken (“to brood; coddle; nurse; lull children to sleep”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0