Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
STRADDLE
I. verb (straddled; straddling)
Etymology: irregular from stride
Date: 1565
intransitive verb to stand, sit, or walk with the legs wide apart, to spread out irregularly ; sprawl , to favor or seem to favor two apparently opposite sides, to execute a commodities market spread, transitive verb to stand, sit, or be astride of , to be noncommittal in regard to , to belong in part to (each of several categories) , straddler noun
II. noun
Date: 1611
the act or position of one who straddles, a noncommittal or equivocal position, spread 5