nidan verb (lower class) with 'ru' ending (archaic), intransitive verb
to be playful; to frolic; to joke
Archaic intransitive verb (Nidan lower class). In modern Japanese, this meaning is expressed by 戯れる (たわむれる). Cross-referenced with 戯れる sense 1.
See also: 戯れる
In classical Japanese, 戯る is written and read as たわむる.
「戯る」は、現代語の「戯れる」に相当する古い動詞である。
戯る is an old verb that corresponds to the modern 戯れる.