Flutter

How to spell flutter

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce flutter

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does flutter mean?

1. verbTo move or flap with quick, light, irregular motions, as wings or fabric in the breeze.
2. nounA quick, irregular trembling motion, or a state of nervous excitement or agitation.
3. nounA small or casual bet, typically placed for fun rather than serious gambling.

Flutter in a sentence

• verb

  The moths flutter around the porch light every summer evening.

• noun

  The news caused a flutter of excitement across the office.

• noun

  He likes the occasional flutter on the horses at the weekend.

• verb

  Loose flags flutter on the rooftop whenever the wind picks up.

• noun

  A sudden flutter of wings startled the cat by the window.

• noun

  She put a flutter on the lottery just for the thrill of it.

Where does flutter come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Flutter descends from the Old English verb floterian or flotorian, a frequentative form meaning 'to float to and fro' or 'to flap about'. That base was related to fleotan, 'to float or swim', the same Germanic root that also gave English the word 'fleet'. The frequentative ending, which signals a repeated or rapid action, is exactly what supplies the doubled tt and the quick, restless sense of the modern word. By the time of Middle English it had settled into describing the rapid, irregular beating of wings or a banner shaking in the wind, and from there it broadened to the figurative 'flutter' of a nervous or excited heart. The informal British sense of a small bet, recorded from the nineteenth century, carries the same idea of a brief, light, almost careless action.

How the word is built

• flutt- (frequentative of Old English floterian, to float or flap)
• -er (frequentative verb suffix)