staggering etymology

Etymology:

  • Middle English: stagren, from Old English: staggered, past tense of stagieren "to stagger"
  • Old English stagieren, from Proto-Germanic: *staggijaną, from *stagg- ("step"), related to Dutch: stug, German: stutzen

Meaning:

  • To lose balance and walk or stand unsteadily
  • To shock or overwhelm greatly
  • To distribute unevenly

Origin:

The word "stagger" comes from the Old English word "stagieren," which means "to stagger." The Old English word is related to the Dutch word "stug," which means "stubborn," and the German word "stützen," which means "to support." The Proto-Germanic root *stagg- means "step," suggesting that the original meaning of "stagger" was "to take unsteady steps."

Over time, the meaning of "stagger" has expanded to include not only physical unsteadiness but also emotional and mental disorientation. The word is now used to describe a wide range of experiences, from feeling woozy after drinking alcohol to being shocked by unexpected news.

staggering relate terms

  • stagger

    Etymology Middle English stagren staggeren staggern from Old English stagrian sta

  • staggering

    Etymology Middle English stagren from Old English staggered past tense of stagieren

  • reel

    Etymology The word reel has several etymological origins Old French rier to lau

  • arrange

    Etymology Meaning Origin etymology the origin of a word and the

  • lurch

    Etymology Late 18th century probably related to lurch a nautical term from the 16th c

  • careen

    Etymology The word careen comes from the Old French word carene which is derived fr

  • overwhelm

    Etymology From Middle English overhwhelmen from Old English oferhwelman from Proto Ge

  • overtake

    Etymology Middle English overtaken from Old English ofer tācan to catch up with ov

  • distribute

    Etymology Distribute comes from the Latin word distribuere meaning to divide or shar

  • set up

    Etymology Meaning The study of the history of words and their origins Origin Greek

  • swag

    Etymology The word swag derives from the Middle English word swagger which was used