tottery (adj.)

"trembling, unsteady," 1861, from totter + -y (2).

Entries linking to tottery

c. 1200, "swing to and fro," of uncertain origin, perhaps from a Scandinavian source (compare dialectal Norwegian totra "to quiver, shake"). Meaning "stand or walk with shaky, unsteady steps" is from c. 1600. Related: Tottered; tottering.

-y (2)

adjective suffix, "full of or characterized by," from Old English -ig, from Proto-Germanic *-iga- (source also of Dutch, Danish, German -ig, Gothic -egs), from PIE -(i)ko-, adjectival suffix, cognate with elements in Greek -ikos, Latin -icus (see -ic). Originally added to nouns in Old English; used from 13c. with verbs, and by 15c. even with other adjectives (for example crispy).

Share tottery

‘cite’

Page URL:

https://www.etymonline.com/word/tottery

HTML Link:

<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/tottery">Etymology of tottery by etymonline</a>

APA style:

Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of tottery. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved $(datetime), from https://www.etymonline.com/word/tottery

Chicago style:

Harper Douglas, “Etymology of tottery,” Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed $(datetime), https://www.etymonline.com/word/tottery.

MLA style:

Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of tottery.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/tottery. Accessed $(datetimeMla).

IEEE style:

D. Harper. “Etymology of tottery.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/tottery (accessed $(datetime)).

Definitions of tottery

tottery (adj.)

unsteady in gait as from infirmity or old age;

a tottery old man

Synonyms: tottering

From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near tottery

tother

totipotent

toto

toto caelo

totter

tottery

toucan

touch

touchdown

touche

touched