falter
/ˈfɔltəɹ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.82 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An unsteadiness.
verb
To fail in distinctness or regularity of exercise; said of the mind or of thought.
verb
To stumble.
Example Sentences
- "Tom, who isn't paying much attention, is suddenly caught by the falter in his voice as he reads the two lines—"
- "He found his legs falter."
- "Considering the results of the study, today John may be buoyed at the clear trend of increasing numbers of new “lishes” for each successive decade since the 1950s, and the fact that nothing in the data suggests this trend is likely to falter."
- "And here he faltered forth his last farewell."
- "With faltering speech and visage incomposed."
- "Here indeed the power of distinctly conceiving of space and distance falters."
Etymology
From Middle English falteren (“to stagger; be unsteady, tremble, quiver; to stammer; be entangled, get caught”), further origin unknown. Probably from a North Germanic source such as Old Norse faltrask (“to hesitate, be puzzled, be encumbered”). May also be a frequentative of fold, although the change from d to t is unusual.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: falteren
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈfɔltəɹ/
- British English: /ˈfɒltə/