falter

Meanings

Noun

• unsteadiness.

Verb

• To waver or be unsteady; to weaken or trail off.
• To stammer; to utter with hesitation, or in a weak and trembling manner.
• To fail in distinctness or regularity of exercise; said of the mind or of thought.
• To stumble.
• To lose faith or vigor; to doubt or abandon (a cause).
• To hesitate in purpose or action.
• To cleanse or sift, as barley.

Origin

• From Middle English falteren ("to stagger"), further origin Unknown. Possibly from a North Germanic source such as Old Norse faltrask ("be encumbered"). May also be a frequentative of fold, although the change from d to t is unusual.