totter

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈtɑtɚ/ UK /ˈtɒtə/ See IPA manual

Freq #89687

Meanings

1

verb
To walk or stand unsteadily, as if about to fall.

The baby tottered across the room toward her mother.
2

verb
To be weak and close to failing or collapsing.

The struggling company tottered on the edge of bankruptcy.
3

noun
An unsteady, shaky way of walking or moving.

He crossed the deck with a drunken totter.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to walk or stand... reel stagger sway teeter toddle stumble

2 verb · to be weak and close to... topple

Word family

Forms totteredtotteringtotters

Derived forms merry-totterteeter-tottertotterertottergrasstotteringtotteringlytottersometottery

Etymology

From Middle English totren, toteren, from earlier *tolteren (compare dialectal English tolter (“to struggle, flounder”); Scots tolter (“unstable, wonky”)), from Old English tealtrian (“to totter, vacillate”), from Proto-Germanic *taltrōną, a frequentative form of Proto-Germanic *taltōną (“to sway, dangle, hesitate”), from Proto-Indo-European *del-, *dul- (“to shake, hesitate”). Cognate with Dutch touteren (“to tremble”), Norwegian dialectal totra (“to quiver, shake”), North Frisian talt, tolt (“unstable, shaky”). Related to tilt.

totren Middle English tealtrian Old English *taltrōną Proto-Germanic *taltōną Proto-Germanic *del- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# totter

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈtɑtɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈtɒtə/
**Frequency rank:** 89687

## Meanings
1. To walk or stand unsteadily, as if about to fall.
2. To be weak and close to failing or collapsing.
3. An unsteady, shaky way of walking or moving.

## Examples
- The baby tottered across the room toward her mother.
- The struggling company tottered on the edge of bankruptcy.
- He crossed the deck with a drunken totter.

## Derived Forms
- merry-totter
- teeter-totter
- totterer
- tottergrass
- tottering
- totteringly
- tottersome
- tottery

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: totren
- Root: tealtrian
- Root: *taltrōną
- Root: *taltōną
- Root: *del-

## Etymology
From Middle English totren, toteren, from earlier *tolteren (compare dialectal English tolter (“to struggle, flounder”); Scots tolter (“unstable, wonky”)), from Old English tealtrian (“to totter, vacillate”), from Proto-Germanic *taltrōną, a frequentative form of Proto-Germanic *taltōną (“to sway, dangle, hesitate”), from Proto-Indo-European *del-, *dul- (“to shake, hesitate”). Cognate with Dutch touteren (“to tremble”), Norwegian dialectal totra (“to quiver, shake”), North Frisian talt, tolt (“unstable, shaky”). Related to tilt.

## AI Etymology
Totter is from Middle English totren, toteren, from earlier *tolteren (compare dialectal English tolter (“to struggle, flounder”); Scots tolter (“unstable, wonky”)), from Old English tealtrian (“to totter, vacillate”), from Proto-Germanic *taltrōną, a frequentative form of Proto-Germanic *taltōną (“to sway, dangle, hesitate”), from Proto-Indo-European *del-, *dul- (“to shake, hesitate”). Cognate with Dutch touteren (“to tremble”), Norwegian dialectal totra (“to quiver, shake”), North Frisian talt, tolt (“unstable, shaky”). Related to tilt. Important recorded forms include totren (Middle English), tealtrian (Old English), *taltrōną (Proto-Germanic), *taltōną (Proto-Germanic), and *del- (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include to walk or stand unsteadily, as if about to fall, to be weak and close to failing or collapsing, and an unsteady, shaky way of walking or moving. The wider family includes derived forms such as merry-totter, teeter-totter, totterer, tottergrass, and tottering.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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