dither

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   an excited state of agitation

   They were in a dither.

2. 2
   verb

   To tremble, shake, or shiver.

   Presently he came running out of the scullery, with the soapy water dripping from him, dithering with cold.

3. 3
   verb

   To be uncertain or unable to make a decision; to vacillate, hesitate, or delay.

   2012, The Economist, Sept. 22nd issue, "Indian Reform: At Last" The dithering Mr Singh of recent times may worry that his reform proposals are already too bold. The reforming Mr Singh of yore would see them as just the start.

4. 4
   verb

   To apply an algorithm to digital data to minimize the effects of quantization:

   Look at how pixelly this wall texture is. You almost don't even notice the dithering when driving by quick. Up close though, it's real chunky.

5. 5
   noun

   A state of nervous excitement.

   Everyone was in a dither; either in it or about to get in it or just climbing out of it. Naturally, the Madam was not in a dither. Dither was a foreign concept to her.

6. 6
   verb

   make a fuss

7. 7
   verb

   act nervously

8. 8
   verb

   To do something nervously.

Etymology

Variant of didder, from Middle English dideren (“to tremble”). Compare Middle English bididren, bididdren (“to seduce, deceive”), from Old English bedidrian, bedyderian (“to deceive, trick”). Alternatively, perhaps with expressive voicing from *titeren, from Proto-Germanic *titrōną. If so, then a doublet of teeter and cognate with Old High German zittarōn (German zittern) and Old Norse titra (Faroese titra, Icelandic titra). Alternatively an unrelated reduplicative onomatopoeia.