What does 撫でる mean in Japanese?

to stroke, to caress, to brush gently, to pat, to rub, to comb (hair)

撫でる (Naderu) — to stroke · Japanese Dictionary

なでる

Naderu

撫でる (Naderu) is a Japanese ichidan verb meaning “to stroke, to caress, to brush gently, to pat”.

ichidan verb, transitive verbto stroke; to caress; to brush gently; to pat; to rub
ichidan verb, transitive verbto comb (hair); to smooth down

そよ風が彼女の顔をなでた。
The breeze kissed her face.
母はため息をつきながら、高校一年生にもなった息子の頭をがしがしと撫でた。
Mom sighed, and tousled the hair of her first-year high school son's head.

Sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR).