Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Origin and history of flutter

flutter(v.)

Middle English floteren, "flutter, hover; be tossed by waves," from Old English floterian "to flutter (of birds), to fly before, flicker, float to and fro, be tossed by waves," frequentative of flotian "to float" (see float (v.)).

The meaning "throw (someone) into confusion" is attested by 1660s. Related: Fluttered; fluttering.

As a noun, "quick, irregular motion," it is attested from 1640s; the meaning "state of excitement" is by 1740s.

Flutterpate "flighty person" is attested from 1894 (flutter-pate) in a Scottish context.

Entries linking to flutter

float(v.)

late Old English flotian "to rest on the surface of water" (intransitive; class II strong verb; past tense fleat, past participle floten), from Proto-Germanic *flotan "to float" (source also of Old Norse flota, Middle Dutch vloten, Old High German flozzan, German flössen), from PIE *plud-, extended form of root *pleu- "to flow."

Meaning "drift about, hover passively" is from c. 1300. Transitive sense of "to lift up, cause to float" (of water, etc.) is from c. 1600; that of "set (something) afloat" is from 1778 (originally of financial operations). Of motion through air, from 1630s. Meaning "hover dimly before the eyes" is from 1775. Related: Floated; floating. A floating rib (by 1802) is so called because the anterior ends are not connected to the rest.

aflutter(adv., adj.)

"in a fluttering state, agitated," 1830, from a- (1) + flutter (n.).

*pleu-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to flow."

It might form all or part of: fletcher; fledge; flee; fleet (adj.) "swift;" fleet (n.) "group of ships under one command;" fleet (v.) "to float, drift; flow, run;" fleeting; flight (n.1) "act of flying;" flight (n.2) "act of fleeing;" flit; float; flood; flotsam; flotilla; flow; flue; flugelhorn; fluster; flutter; fly (v.1) "move through the air with wings;" fly (n.) "winged insect;" fowl; plover; Pluto; plutocracy; pluvial; pneumo-; pneumonia; pneumonic; pulmonary.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit plavate "navigates, swims;" Greek plynein "to wash," plein "to navigate," ploein "to float, swim," plotos "floating, navigable," pyelos "trough, basin;" Latin plovere "to rain," pluvius "rainy;" Armenian luanam "I wash;" Old English flowan "to flow;" Old Church Slavonic plovo "to flow, navigate;" Lithuanian pilu, pilti "to pour out," plauju, plauti "to swim, rinse."