To stand about without any aim or purpose; to stand about idly.
To remain at a certain place instead of moving on.
For an aircraft to remain in the air near a target.
Noun
A standing or strolling about without any aim or purpose.
Origin
From Middle English loitren, from Middle Dutch loteren ("to shake, wag, wobble"), ultimately connected with a frequentative form of Proto-Germanic *lūtaną ("to bend, stoop, cower, shrink from, decline"), see lout. Cognate with Dutch leuteren ("to dawdle"), Alemannic German lottern ("to wobble"), German Lotterbube ("rascal"). More at lout, little.
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