tottern.¹

Brit.

/ˈtɒtə/, U.S.

/ˈtɑdər/

Forms: Middle English totre, Middle English totyr, totoure, 1500s– totter.

Etymology: < totter v. Compare Flemish, Dutch (and West Frisian) touter in sense 1.

†1. A swing; a board suspended by two ropes, on which a person sits and is swung to and fro.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > toy or plaything > swing > [noun]

tottera1387

merry-totter1440

shuggie-shue1653

swinger1662

swing1687

high-flyer1886

swing set1951

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 387 Whan men [fel] of þe totres and were i-herte sore, it was ordeyned among hem þat images i-liche to þe bodies schulde be sette in þe totros, and meue and totery in stede of hem þat were a-falle. Þat game is cleped ocillum in Latyn.

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 498/1 Totyr, or myry totyr, chylderys game.., oscillum.

1468 Medulla Gram. Oscillum, genus ludi, cum funis suspenditur a trabe in quo pueri et puelle sedentes impelluntur huc et illuc,—a totoure. Petaurus, quidam ludus, a totre.

1483 Cath. Angl. 390/2 A mery Totyr (A. A Totyr), petaurus, & cetera.

1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Totter playe, betwene two bell ropes to tottre to and fro, petaurum.

2. The action, or an act, of tottering; wavering, oscillation; an unsteady or shaky movement or gait as of one ready to fall.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > [noun] > tottering

totteringa1387

totter1747

1747 E. Poston Pratler I. 1 My Mind is so on the Totter between For and Against.

1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 109. ⁋8 I..had his bend in my shoulders, and his totter in my gait.

1830 Chron. in Ann. Reg. 35/2 He seemed all of a totter and tremble.

1898 T. Watts-Dunton Aylwin ii. iv Without raising an arm to balance her body, without a totter or a slip.

Compounds

attributive and in other combinations (or from the verb-stem).

totter-arse n. †(a) the game of see-saw; = titter-totter n. 1b; (b) one who totters (dialect).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > children's game > other children's games > [noun] > see-sawing

titter-totter1530

shoeing the wild marea1586

totter-arse1611

teeter-totter1905

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Baccoler, to play at titter-totter, or at totter-arse; to ride the wild Mare; as children who sitting vpon both ends of a long Pole, or Timber-log (supported only in the middle) lift one another vp and downe.

1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. at Totterarse I ant a-zeed no such two double totterarse 'is longful time.

totter-grass n. quaking grass, Briza media, or sometimes another grass with slender stalk.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > a grass or grasses > [noun] > quaking-grass

Quakers1597

quaking grass1597

shakers1597

dodder-grass1617

brant-barley1633

cow-quakes1633

pearl grass1633

maidenhair grass1640

amourette1702

Lady's hair1732

quiver grass1759

quake1812

rattlesnake grass1814

totter-grass1821

silver shacklea1824

lady's tresses1842

fairy grass1846

earthquakes1851

trembling-grass1853

dadder grass1859

dithering-grass1878

totty-grass1901

shivery grass1926

1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel II. 198 And totter-grass, in many a trembling knot.

1909 Spectator 10 July 48/2 The ox-eye daisies white among the totter-grass and sorrel.

ˈtotter-ˌheaded adj. light-headed, frivolous, changeful.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [adjective]

unfastc888

unstathelfasteOE

unsteadfasta1200

fleeting?c1225

changeablea1275

ficklea1275

unstablec1290

waveringc1315

flickerc1325

loose in the haftc1325

motleyc1380

unsadc1384

variablea1387

variantc1386

ticklec1400

inconstant1402

flitting1413

brittle1420

plianta1425

mutablec1425

shittle1440

shittle-witted1448

moonishc1450

unconstant1483

unfirm1483

varying?a1500

pliablea1513

fluctuant1575

changeling1577

shittle-headed1580

cheverel1583

off and on1583

chameleon-like1589

changeful1590

limber1602

unsteady1604

ticklish1606

skittish1609

startling1619

labile1623

uncertaina1625

cheverelized1625

remuant1625

fluctuate1631

fluctuary1632

various1636

contrarious1643

epileptical1646

fluxilea1654

shittle-braineda1655

multivolent1656

totter-headed1662

on and off1668

self-inconsistent1678

weathercocka1680

whifflinga1680

versatile1682

veering1684

fast and loose1697

inconsistent1709

insteadfast1728

unfixing1810

unsteadied1814

chameleonic1821

labefact1874

ballastless1884

weathercocky1886

whiffle-minded1902

1662 W. Petty Treat. Taxes ii. §14 The things which cause animosities among the totter-headed multitude.

totter-kneed adj. yielding, ‘weak-kneed’.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [adjective] > weak in character or will

nesheOE

feeblec1200

softc1275

weaka1425

infirm1526

lithya1533

unheaded1577

spiritless1595

pappy1597

irresolute1600

marrowless1607

seducible1613

wax-nosedc1615

unsinewy?1623

reedy1628

swayable1642

short-spirited1647

weak-headed1654

lath-backed1676

will-less?1680

tiffany-trader1702

weak-minded1716

lax1751

lax-fibred1762

nerveless1783

wishy-washy1801

marcid1822

molluscous1836

boneless1848

weedy1849

putty-headed1857

flabby1862

weak-kneed1863

fibreless1864

invertebrate1867

chinless1881

backboneless1882

featherweight1885

spineless1885

weak-willed1885

totter-kneed1887

akratic1896

effete1905

weakling1906

gutless1915

willowish1919

Milquetoast1932

nannified1960

ball-less1967

1887 G. Meredith Whimper of Sympathy in Ballads & Poems The feelings of the totterknee'd.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

tottern.²

Etymology: < either tot n.⁵ or tot v.⁴ + -er suffix¹.Previous versions of the OED give the stress as: ˈtotter.

slang.

A rag-and-bone collector.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > clearing of refuse matter > refuse disposal > [noun] > rag-collecting or dust-heap picking > one who

kennel-raker1570

finder1607

rag-raker1631

rag-picker1680

bunter1706

rake-kennel1707

rag collector1820

rag gatherer1851

chiffonier1856

gutter-snipe1869

picker1884

tatter1890

totter1891

dumpster diver1985

1891 Daily News 11 Mar. 3/3 Costermongers, wood-cutters, and ‘totters’, men who lounged about areas in the hope of getting old bottles and things from servants.

1910 London City Mission Mag. May 85/2 The Totters. Up betimes, these queer people set out by the dozen, with sack or barrow, in quest of rags and bones, rubber, and bottles, scrap iron and cast-off clothing.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2019).

† totteradj.

Forms: In Middle English totyre.

Etymology: If genuine, goes with totter v. (but it may be a copyist's error for tolter adj.).

Obsolete. rare.

Tottering, shaky, unstable, insecure.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > [adjective] > tottering

tolter1423

totterc1480

totteringa1535

cockering1553

tottered1626

cockling1634

nodding1693

cockery1825

cocklety1828

rickety1832

cockly1859

cockerty1895

c1480 (a1400) St. Margaret 42 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 48 Þe wikit warld scho ourcom als, þat ay is totyre, fekil, & fals.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2021).

totterv.

Brit.

/ˈtɒtə/, U.S.

/ˈtɑdər/

Forms: Also Middle English toter, 1500s tottre, 1800s todder.

Etymology: Appears first c1200; has the form of a frequentative from a stem tot- , expressing instability or unstable movement. Perhaps < Norse: compare Norwegian dialect tutra , totra to quiver, shake (Ross), Swedish dialect tuttra (Rietz). The sense is found in Flemish & Dutch touteren to swing, though it is difficult to connect this phonologically: compare tolter v.

†1.

a. intransitive. To swing to and fro, esp. at the end of a rope; figurative to waver, vacillate. Obsolete.

ΘΠ

the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > oscillation > oscillate [verb (intransitive)] > swing

totterc1200

swing1545

vibrate1667

pendulate1698

swingle1755

pendulum1885

to play pendulum1893

c1200 Vices & Virtues 135 Ne mid fote sitten toterinde.

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 387 Men of Athene heng vp ropes in þe ayer and men totrede þeron and meued hider and þider [L. huc et illuc agitabantur].

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) II. 387 Whan men [fel] of þe totres and were i-herte sore, it was ordeyned among hem þat images i-liche to þe bodies schulde be sette in þe totros, and meue and totery in stede of hem þat were a-falle. Þat game is cleped ocillum in Latyn.

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 498/1 Toteron, or waveron, vacillo.

1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Totter playe, betwene two bell ropes to tottre to and fro, petaurum.

1594 H. Plat Jewell House 47 It should seem that before the breaking of the yolke, that the yolke did hang playing or tottering within the white.

a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) i. iii. 120 Manie likelihoods..which hung so tottring in the ballance.

†b. spec. To swing from the gallows, to be hanged. Obsolete.

ΘΠ

society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > hanging > be hanged [verb (intransitive)]

rideeOE

hangc1000

anhangc1300

wagc1430

totter?1515

to wave in the windc1515

swing1542

trine1567

to look through ——?1570

to preach at Tyburn cross1576

stretch?1576

to stretch a rope1592

truss1592

to look through a hempen window?a1600

gibbet1600

to have the lift1604

to salute Tyburn1640

to dance the Tyburn jig1664

dangle1678

to cut a caper on nothing1708

string1714

twist1725

to wallop in a tow (also tether)1786

to streek in a halter1796

to straight a ropea1800

strap1815

to dance upon nothing1837

to streek a tow1895

?1515 Hyckescorner (de Worde) sig. A.vi That is a knauisshe syght to se them toter on a beme.

1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 122 Diogenes..had a greate zele..to see theim euery one swyngyng & tottreyng in halters.

1556 J. Heywood Spider & Flie xv. 13 If they be had, they shall hang therupone, And yet if they totter twenty togyther, Still do theeues rob there.

1640 J. Fletcher & J. Shirley Night-walker iii. sig. F4^v I would lose a limbe to see their rogueships totter.

†c. To play at see-saw. Cf. titter-totter n. and adv.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > children's game > other children's games > [verb (intransitive)] > play see-saw

totter1530

to play (at) see-saw1821

see-saw1860

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 760/1 I totter to and fro, as chylder do whan they play.., je ballance... Totter nat to moche leste you fall.

†2. To move up and down or to and fro, as a ship on the waves; to toss, to pitch. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [verb (intransitive)] > pitch and roll

travaila1393

totterc1400

walterc1400

labour1587

senda1625

to bruise the water1836

stagger1840

pant1869

to walk turkey1888

pound1903

slam1958

c1400 (?c1380) Patience l. 233 Þenne þaȝ her takel were torne, þat totered on yþez.

c1400 Laud Troy Bk. 4294 Other..In the water swam and flotered, And there schippis a-boute totered.

1596 Raigne of Edward III sig. E4 Then might ye see the reeling vessels split, And tottering sink into the ruthlesse floud.

a. To rock or shake to and fro on its base, as if about to overbalance or collapse; †in quot. c1400, to tremble.

ΘΠ

the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > oscillation > vibration > vibrate [verb (intransitive)] > tremble or quiver > with cold, infirmity, or emotion

quakeOE

shiverc1250

shakea1398

totterc1400

cowther1599

earn1611

frill1671

to shake out1843

the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > move unsteadily [verb (intransitive)] > totter

shake1297

waive1338

wagc1340

falterc1386

waverc1440

branglea1522

totterc1522

wave1538

swerve1573

nod1582

tittera1618

cockle1634

labascate1727

teeter1904

oversway1994

c1400 Laud Troy Bk. 9717 Thei sat toterynge as it were gece—What for the strokes & the hete.

c1522 T. More Treat. Memorare Nouissima in Wks. (1557) I. 99 The hands trimbling..and the feete totteryng.

1576 G. Pettie Petite Pallace 33 As a tree hewen downe with axes, redy to fal.., tottereth euery way, being vncertayne which way to fal.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis ii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 246 Troy nods from high, and totters to her Fall.

1775 R. B. Sheridan St. Patrick's Day ii. ii I was..taken with a sudden giddiness, and Humphrey seeing me beginning to totter, ran to my assistance.

1836 F. Marryat Mr. Midshipman Easy II. iv. 69 Her main-mast was seen to totter, and then to fall over the side.

b. figurative or in figurative context.

ΘΠ

the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > face danger [verb (intransitive)] > be in danger > be at risk or in a precarious position

stacker1402

periclitate1581

to stand on a rolling stone1581

to lie upon the wager1590

tottera1616

concern1659

to tread on eggs, on delicate ground, on thin icea1734

tremblea1862

to skate over (or on) thin ice1897

to teeter on the brink1937

a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. ii. 7 If th'other two be brain'd like vs, the State totters .

1641 J. Milton Reason Church-govt. 5 So long as the Church is mounted upon the Prelaticall Cart..it will but shake and totter.

1721 E. Young Revenge iv. i O forbear! You totter on the very brink of ruin.

a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature (1834) II. 173 Their faith..will be apt to shake and totter grievously in the storms of opposition.

1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People v. §1. 221 From the day of Cressy feudalism tottered slowly but surely to its grave.

†c. To oscillate, vibrate, rock (without any notion of falling). Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > oscillation > oscillate [verb (intransitive)] > rock

rocka1398

tailyevey1513

totter1668

jow1816

sally1887

1668 N. Culpeper & A. Cole tr. T. Bartholin Anat. (new ed.) i. xi. 27 The use of which bones, is to hinder that the valve do not easily totter.

1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. iv. 64 Not letting the Plain totter to or from you-wards.

a. To walk or move with unsteady steps; to go shakily or feebly; to toddle; also, to walk with difficulty; to reel, stagger.

ΘΠ

the world > movement > progressive motion > walking > walk, tread, or step [verb (intransitive)] > unsteadily

wiggle?c1225

walter1399

falterc1400

stammerc1400

dotterc1475

stavera1500

stumblea1500

reel1529

scamblec1571

halper1596

totter1602

folder1607

wamble1611

to make a Virginia fence1671

wandle1686

fribble1709

rock1718

stoit1719

stoiter1724

swagger1724

doddle1761

stotter1781

toit1786

doiter1793

stot1801

dodder1819

twaddle1823

teeter1844

shoggle1884

welter1884

warple1887

whemmel1895

1602 J. Marston Hist. Antonio & Mellida i. sig. C2^v He totterd from the reeling decke.

1796 J. Morse Amer. Universal Geogr. (new ed.) II. 489 Chinese women..may be said to totter rather than to walk.

1797 J. Downing Treat. Disorders Horned Cattle 106 When the staggers and convulsive symptoms arise, the horse..is feeble, reels and totters about as he moves.

1819 W. Scott Bride of Lammermoor vi, in Tales of my Landlord 3rd Ser. II. 117 The old blind woman arose, assumed her staff,..tottering to her hut.

1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting vii. 280 Three niggers staggering after us with as much as ever they could totter under.

b. transitive (nonce-uses.) (a) To make (one's way) totteringly. (b) To carry with tottering steps.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > transference > [verb (transitive)] > convey or transport > carry > carry with tottering steps

totter1846

1846 C. G. F. Gore Sketches Eng. Char. I. 128 Poor Corney tottered his way from the miserable cellar in St. Giles's..towards the fashionable quarter of the town.

1864 J. R. Lowell Fireside Trav. 280 After our little bearers [mules] had tottered us up and down the dusky steeps.

†5. transitive. To cause to shake to and fro, to rock; to render unstable. Also figurative. Obsolete.

ΘΠ

the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > cause to move unsteadily [verb (transitive)] > cause to totter

shakec1050

overswaya1586

totter1613

brandle1622

labefactate1645

1613 T. Adams White Deuil 44 There is some disobedient and fugitiue Ionasses that thus totter our ship.

a1625 J. Fletcher Humorous Lieut. i. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Qqq^v/1 Earthquakes To shake and totter my designes.

1693 T. Urquhart & P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais 3rd Bk. Wks. Prol. 7 He..totter'd it, lifted it,..transpos'd it, transplaced it.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

n.¹a1387

n.²1891

adj.c1480

v.c1200

单词	totter
释义	tottern.¹ Brit. /ˈtɒtə/, U.S. /ˈtɑdər/ Forms: Middle English totre, Middle English totyr, totoure, 1500s– totter. Etymology: < totter v. Compare Flemish, Dutch (and West Frisian) touter in sense 1. †1. A swing; a board suspended by two ropes, on which a person sits and is swung to and fro. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > toy or plaything > swing > [noun] tottera1387 merry-totter1440 shuggie-shue1653 swinger1662 swing1687 high-flyer1886 swing set1951 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 387 Whan men [fel] of þe totres and were i-herte sore, it was ordeyned among hem þat images i-liche to þe bodies schulde be sette in þe totros, and meue and totery in stede of hem þat were a-falle. Þat game is cleped ocillum in Latyn. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 498/1 Totyr, or myry totyr, chylderys game.., oscillum. 1468 Medulla Gram. Oscillum, genus ludi, cum funis suspenditur a trabe in quo pueri et puelle sedentes impelluntur huc et illuc,—a totoure. Petaurus, quidam ludus, a totre. 1483 Cath. Angl. 390/2 A mery Totyr (A. A Totyr), petaurus, & cetera. 1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Totter playe, betwene two bell ropes to tottre to and fro, petaurum. 2. The action, or an act, of tottering; wavering, oscillation; an unsteady or shaky movement or gait as of one ready to fall. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > [noun] > tottering totteringa1387 totter1747 1747 E. Poston Pratler I. 1 My Mind is so on the Totter between For and Against. 1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 109. ⁋8 I..had his bend in my shoulders, and his totter in my gait. 1830 Chron. in Ann. Reg. 35/2 He seemed all of a totter and tremble. 1898 T. Watts-Dunton Aylwin ii. iv Without raising an arm to balance her body, without a totter or a slip. Compounds attributive and in other combinations (or from the verb-stem). totter-arse n. †(a) the game of see-saw; = titter-totter n. 1b; (b) one who totters (dialect). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > children's game > other children's games > [noun] > see-sawing titter-totter1530 shoeing the wild marea1586 totter-arse1611 teeter-totter1905 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Baccoler, to play at titter-totter, or at totter-arse; to ride the wild Mare; as children who sitting vpon both ends of a long Pole, or Timber-log (supported only in the middle) lift one another vp and downe. 1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. at Totterarse I ant a-zeed no such two double totterarse 'is longful time. totter-grass n. quaking grass, Briza media, or sometimes another grass with slender stalk. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > a grass or grasses > [noun] > quaking-grass Quakers1597 quaking grass1597 shakers1597 dodder-grass1617 brant-barley1633 cow-quakes1633 pearl grass1633 maidenhair grass1640 amourette1702 Lady's hair1732 quiver grass1759 quake1812 rattlesnake grass1814 totter-grass1821 silver shacklea1824 lady's tresses1842 fairy grass1846 earthquakes1851 trembling-grass1853 dadder grass1859 dithering-grass1878 totty-grass1901 shivery grass1926 1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel II. 198 And totter-grass, in many a trembling knot. 1909 Spectator 10 July 48/2 The ox-eye daisies white among the totter-grass and sorrel. ˈtotter-ˌheaded adj. light-headed, frivolous, changeful. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [adjective] unfastc888 unstathelfasteOE unsteadfasta1200 fleeting?c1225 changeablea1275 ficklea1275 unstablec1290 waveringc1315 flickerc1325 loose in the haftc1325 motleyc1380 unsadc1384 variablea1387 variantc1386 ticklec1400 inconstant1402 flitting1413 brittle1420 plianta1425 mutablec1425 shittle1440 shittle-witted1448 moonishc1450 unconstant1483 unfirm1483 varying?a1500 pliablea1513 fluctuant1575 changeling1577 shittle-headed1580 cheverel1583 off and on1583 chameleon-like1589 changeful1590 limber1602 unsteady1604 ticklish1606 skittish1609 startling1619 labile1623 uncertaina1625 cheverelized1625 remuant1625 fluctuate1631 fluctuary1632 various1636 contrarious1643 epileptical1646 fluxilea1654 shittle-braineda1655 multivolent1656 totter-headed1662 on and off1668 self-inconsistent1678 weathercocka1680 whifflinga1680 versatile1682 veering1684 fast and loose1697 inconsistent1709 insteadfast1728 unfixing1810 unsteadied1814 chameleonic1821 labefact1874 ballastless1884 weathercocky1886 whiffle-minded1902 1662 W. Petty Treat. Taxes ii. §14 The things which cause animosities among the totter-headed multitude. totter-kneed adj. yielding, ‘weak-kneed’. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [adjective] > weak in character or will nesheOE feeblec1200 softc1275 weaka1425 infirm1526 lithya1533 unheaded1577 spiritless1595 pappy1597 irresolute1600 marrowless1607 seducible1613 wax-nosedc1615 unsinewy?1623 reedy1628 swayable1642 short-spirited1647 weak-headed1654 lath-backed1676 will-less?1680 tiffany-trader1702 weak-minded1716 lax1751 lax-fibred1762 nerveless1783 wishy-washy1801 marcid1822 molluscous1836 boneless1848 weedy1849 putty-headed1857 flabby1862 weak-kneed1863 fibreless1864 invertebrate1867 chinless1881 backboneless1882 featherweight1885 spineless1885 weak-willed1885 totter-kneed1887 akratic1896 effete1905 weakling1906 gutless1915 willowish1919 Milquetoast1932 nannified1960 ball-less1967 1887 G. Meredith Whimper of Sympathy in Ballads & Poems The feelings of the totterknee'd. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online March 2022). tottern.² Etymology: < either tot n.⁵ or tot v.⁴ + -er suffix¹.Previous versions of the OED give the stress as: ˈtotter. slang. A rag-and-bone collector. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > clearing of refuse matter > refuse disposal > [noun] > rag-collecting or dust-heap picking > one who kennel-raker1570 finder1607 rag-raker1631 rag-picker1680 bunter1706 rake-kennel1707 rag collector1820 rag gatherer1851 chiffonier1856 gutter-snipe1869 picker1884 tatter1890 totter1891 dumpster diver1985 1891 Daily News 11 Mar. 3/3 Costermongers, wood-cutters, and ‘totters’, men who lounged about areas in the hope of getting old bottles and things from servants. 1910 London City Mission Mag. May 85/2 The Totters. Up betimes, these queer people set out by the dozen, with sack or barrow, in quest of rags and bones, rubber, and bottles, scrap iron and cast-off clothing. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2019). † totteradj. Forms: In Middle English totyre. Etymology: If genuine, goes with totter v. (but it may be a copyist's error for tolter adj.). Obsolete. rare. Tottering, shaky, unstable, insecure. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > [adjective] > tottering tolter1423 totterc1480 totteringa1535 cockering1553 tottered1626 cockling1634 nodding1693 cockery1825 cocklety1828 rickety1832 cockly1859 cockerty1895 c1480 (a1400) St. Margaret 42 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 48 Þe wikit warld scho ourcom als, þat ay is totyre, fekil, & fals. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2021). totterv. Brit. /ˈtɒtə/, U.S. /ˈtɑdər/ Forms: Also Middle English toter, 1500s tottre, 1800s todder. Etymology: Appears first c1200; has the form of a frequentative from a stem tot- , expressing instability or unstable movement. Perhaps < Norse: compare Norwegian dialect tutra , totra to quiver, shake (Ross), Swedish dialect tuttra (Rietz). The sense is found in Flemish & Dutch touteren to swing, though it is difficult to connect this phonologically: compare tolter v. †1. a. intransitive. To swing to and fro, esp. at the end of a rope; figurative to waver, vacillate. Obsolete. ΘΠ the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > oscillation > oscillate [verb (intransitive)] > swing totterc1200 swing1545 vibrate1667 pendulate1698 swingle1755 pendulum1885 to play pendulum1893 c1200 Vices & Virtues 135 Ne mid fote sitten toterinde. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 387 Men of Athene heng vp ropes in þe ayer and men totrede þeron and meued hider and þider [L. huc et illuc agitabantur]. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) II. 387 Whan men [fel] of þe totres and were i-herte sore, it was ordeyned among hem þat images i-liche to þe bodies schulde be sette in þe totros, and meue and totery in stede of hem þat were a-falle. Þat game is cleped ocillum in Latyn. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 498/1 Toteron, or waveron, vacillo. 1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Totter playe, betwene two bell ropes to tottre to and fro, petaurum. 1594 H. Plat Jewell House 47 It should seem that before the breaking of the yolke, that the yolke did hang playing or tottering within the white. a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) i. iii. 120 Manie likelihoods..which hung so tottring in the ballance. View more context for this quotation †b. spec. To swing from the gallows, to be hanged. Obsolete. ΘΠ society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > hanging > be hanged [verb (intransitive)] rideeOE hangc1000 anhangc1300 wagc1430 totter?1515 to wave in the windc1515 swing1542 trine1567 to look through ——?1570 to preach at Tyburn cross1576 stretch?1576 to stretch a rope1592 truss1592 to look through a hempen window?a1600 gibbet1600 to have the lift1604 to salute Tyburn1640 to dance the Tyburn jig1664 dangle1678 to cut a caper on nothing1708 string1714 twist1725 to wallop in a tow (also tether)1786 to streek in a halter1796 to straight a ropea1800 strap1815 to dance upon nothing1837 to streek a tow1895 ?1515 Hyckescorner (de Worde) sig. A.vi That is a knauisshe syght to se them toter on a beme. 1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 122 Diogenes..had a greate zele..to see theim euery one swyngyng & tottreyng in halters. 1556 J. Heywood Spider & Flie xv. 13 If they be had, they shall hang therupone, And yet if they totter twenty togyther, Still do theeues rob there. 1640 J. Fletcher & J. Shirley Night-walker iii. sig. F4^v I would lose a limbe to see their rogueships totter. †c. To play at see-saw. Cf. titter-totter n. and adv. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > children's game > other children's games > [verb (intransitive)] > play see-saw totter1530 to play (at) see-saw1821 see-saw1860 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 760/1 I totter to and fro, as chylder do whan they play.., je ballance... Totter nat to moche leste you fall. †2. To move up and down or to and fro, as a ship on the waves; to toss, to pitch. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [verb (intransitive)] > pitch and roll travaila1393 totterc1400 walterc1400 labour1587 senda1625 to bruise the water1836 stagger1840 pant1869 to walk turkey1888 pound1903 slam1958 c1400 (?c1380) Patience l. 233 Þenne þaȝ her takel were torne, þat totered on yþez. c1400 Laud Troy Bk. 4294 Other..In the water swam and flotered, And there schippis a-boute totered. 1596 Raigne of Edward III sig. E4 Then might ye see the reeling vessels split, And tottering sink into the ruthlesse floud. View more context for this quotation 3. a. To rock or shake to and fro on its base, as if about to overbalance or collapse; †in quot. c1400, to tremble. ΘΠ the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > oscillation > vibration > vibrate [verb (intransitive)] > tremble or quiver > with cold, infirmity, or emotion quakeOE shiverc1250 shakea1398 totterc1400 cowther1599 earn1611 frill1671 to shake out1843 the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > move unsteadily [verb (intransitive)] > totter shake1297 waive1338 wagc1340 falterc1386 waverc1440 branglea1522 totterc1522 wave1538 swerve1573 nod1582 tittera1618 cockle1634 labascate1727 teeter1904 oversway1994 c1400 Laud Troy Bk. 9717 Thei sat toterynge as it were gece—What for the strokes & the hete. c1522 T. More Treat. Memorare Nouissima in Wks. (1557) I. 99 The hands trimbling..and the feete totteryng. 1576 G. Pettie Petite Pallace 33 As a tree hewen downe with axes, redy to fal.., tottereth euery way, being vncertayne which way to fal. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis ii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 246 Troy nods from high, and totters to her Fall. 1775 R. B. Sheridan St. Patrick's Day ii. ii I was..taken with a sudden giddiness, and Humphrey seeing me beginning to totter, ran to my assistance. 1836 F. Marryat Mr. Midshipman Easy II. iv. 69 Her main-mast was seen to totter, and then to fall over the side. b. figurative or in figurative context. ΘΠ the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > face danger [verb (intransitive)] > be in danger > be at risk or in a precarious position stacker1402 periclitate1581 to stand on a rolling stone1581 to lie upon the wager1590 tottera1616 concern1659 to tread on eggs, on delicate ground, on thin icea1734 tremblea1862 to skate over (or on) thin ice1897 to teeter on the brink1937 a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. ii. 7 If th'other two be brain'd like vs, the State totters . View more context for this quotation 1641 J. Milton Reason Church-govt. 5 So long as the Church is mounted upon the Prelaticall Cart..it will but shake and totter. 1721 E. Young Revenge iv. i O forbear! You totter on the very brink of ruin. a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature (1834) II. 173 Their faith..will be apt to shake and totter grievously in the storms of opposition. 1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People v. §1. 221 From the day of Cressy feudalism tottered slowly but surely to its grave. †c. To oscillate, vibrate, rock (without any notion of falling). Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in specific manner > alternating or reciprocating motion > oscillation > oscillate [verb (intransitive)] > rock rocka1398 tailyevey1513 totter1668 jow1816 sally1887 1668 N. Culpeper & A. Cole tr. T. Bartholin Anat. (new ed.) i. xi. 27 The use of which bones, is to hinder that the valve do not easily totter. 1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. iv. 64 Not letting the Plain totter to or from you-wards. 4. a. To walk or move with unsteady steps; to go shakily or feebly; to toddle; also, to walk with difficulty; to reel, stagger. ΘΠ the world > movement > progressive motion > walking > walk, tread, or step [verb (intransitive)] > unsteadily wiggle?c1225 walter1399 falterc1400 stammerc1400 dotterc1475 stavera1500 stumblea1500 reel1529 scamblec1571 halper1596 totter1602 folder1607 wamble1611 to make a Virginia fence1671 wandle1686 fribble1709 rock1718 stoit1719 stoiter1724 swagger1724 doddle1761 stotter1781 toit1786 doiter1793 stot1801 dodder1819 twaddle1823 teeter1844 shoggle1884 welter1884 warple1887 whemmel1895 1602 J. Marston Hist. Antonio & Mellida i. sig. C2^v He totterd from the reeling decke. 1796 J. Morse Amer. Universal Geogr. (new ed.) II. 489 Chinese women..may be said to totter rather than to walk. 1797 J. Downing Treat. Disorders Horned Cattle 106 When the staggers and convulsive symptoms arise, the horse..is feeble, reels and totters about as he moves. 1819 W. Scott Bride of Lammermoor vi, in Tales of my Landlord 3rd Ser. II. 117 The old blind woman arose, assumed her staff,..tottering to her hut. 1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting vii. 280 Three niggers staggering after us with as much as ever they could totter under. b. transitive (nonce-uses.) (a) To make (one's way) totteringly. (b) To carry with tottering steps. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > transference > [verb (transitive)] > convey or transport > carry > carry with tottering steps totter1846 1846 C. G. F. Gore Sketches Eng. Char. I. 128 Poor Corney tottered his way from the miserable cellar in St. Giles's..towards the fashionable quarter of the town. 1864 J. R. Lowell Fireside Trav. 280 After our little bearers [mules] had tottered us up and down the dusky steeps. †5. transitive. To cause to shake to and fro, to rock; to render unstable. Also figurative. Obsolete. ΘΠ the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > cause to move unsteadily [verb (transitive)] > cause to totter shakec1050 overswaya1586 totter1613 brandle1622 labefactate1645 1613 T. Adams White Deuil 44 There is some disobedient and fugitiue Ionasses that thus totter our ship. a1625 J. Fletcher Humorous Lieut. i. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Qqq^v/1 Earthquakes To shake and totter my designes. 1693 T. Urquhart & P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais 3rd Bk. Wks. Prol. 7 He..totter'd it, lifted it,..transpos'd it, transplaced it. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.¹a1387n.²1891adj.c1480v.c1200
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tottern.1

Compounds

tottern.2

† totteradj.

totterv.

tottern.¹

tottern.²