fumble
/ˈfʌmbəl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.36 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To grope about in perplexity; to seek awkwardly.
verb
To handle much; to play childishly; to turn over and over.
noun
The dropping of a ball by accident.
Example Sentences
- "Waiting for the interview, he fumbled with his tie."
- "He fumbled the key into the lock."
- "He fumbled for his keys."
- "He fumbled his way to the light-switch."
- "Adams novv began to fumble in his Pockets, and ſoon cried out, O la! I have it [a sermon] not about me— […]"
- "He fumbled through his prepared speech."
Etymology
From late Middle English, from Low German fummeln, fommeln, fammeln (German fummeln), or Dutch fommelen. Or, perhaps from a Scandinavian/North Germanic source; compare related Old Norse fálma, Icelandic fálma, Danish fumle, especially Swedish fumla, famla, with variants: fumbla (“fumble”), fambla (“famble”), related to Swedish fim, fem (Danish fim, Norwegian fim, feima), with a root meaning of “cover, coating of foam or figuratively ditto”, cognate to German Feim (“surf”) and English foam. Possibly has (a more or less unconscious) connection to fathom (via Old Norse faðmr, Swedish famn) in the sense of “embrace”. The ultimate origin for either could perhaps be imitative of fumbling. Or, from Proto-Indo-European *pal- (“to shake, swing”), see also Latin palpo (“to pat, touch softly”), and possibly Proto-West Germanic *fōlijan (“to feel”).