Word a Day
totter
What does totter mean?
totter (verb): to walk, move or stand unsteadily or falteringly; threatening to fall.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you use totter in a sentence?
- The baby tottered from the table to the chair. (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- The car tottered on the edge of the cliff. (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0)
How do you pronounce totter?
/ˈtɑtɚ/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does totter come from?
From Middle English totren, toteren, from earlier *tolteren (compare dialectal English tolter (“to struggle, flounder”); Scots tolter (“unstable, wonky”)).
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “totter”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “totter” mean?
to avoid, deflect, or ward off (an attack, a blow, an argument, etc.)
Not quite: that's what parry means.
to walk, move or stand unsteadily or falteringly; threatening to fall
Right! That's what “totter” means.
to express sadness or sorrow for; to grieve over (especially a death)
Not quite: that's what mourn means.
of something aloft: to descend and settle; to land, to lodge, to rest
Not quite: that's what alight means.
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