tottlingadj.
That tottles; moving unsteadily; apt to tip or topple; shaky; crazy; also figurative feeble or shaky in intellect. Cf. totty adj.2
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > [adjective] > tottering > unstable
unstable1390
unsteadfasta1400
tickle1515
unstayed1594
unsteady1598
shittle1601
firmless1605
flitty1642
totty1652
shuttlec1682
unfirm1697
wankly1795
wankya1825
cockery1825
wobbly1833
tottlish1835
earthquaky1837
tottling1849
shaky1850
cockly1859
unsteadied1865
shoggy1866
wankle1869
wibblety-wobblety1877
cockerty1895
tipsy1895
rocky1900
wibbly-wobbly1901
tottly1905
topply1913
wibbly1914
1746 Exmoor Scolding (ed. 3) i. 5 A toteling, wambling, zlottering, zart-and-vair He-at-stool.
1849 J. D. Dana U.S. Exploring Exped.: Geol. (1850) ii. 31 Safe navigation for the tottling canoe.
1873 E. H. Clarke Sex in Educ. 35 The girl..will caress a doll, that her tottling brother looks coldly upon.
1880 L. Parr Adam & Eve xxxvi Th' ole chap was gone reg'lar totlin' like, and can't tell thickee fra that.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2019).
> as lemmas
ˈtottling
ˈtottling n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > [noun] > agitated movement
hurla1400
working1575
purl1650
tottling1864
bobble1880
roil1893
wind shadow1909
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > action of boiling > [noun] > agitation of liquid in boiling
walmOE
welling1371
boilingc1380
fervence14..
fervoura1440
play1440
effervescence1651
exaestuation1666
effervescency1681
estuation1684
wambling1686
popple1826
soubresaut1849
tottling1864
1864 A. Leighton Myst. Legends Edinb. (1886) 68 They heard the sound of..the sweltering and tottling of the pot.
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adj.1746as lemmas