Hesitate
verbTo pause before acting or speaking because of uncertainty or reluctance.
How to spell hesitate
8 letters · 3 syllables
How to pronounce hesitate
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does hesitate mean?
- verbTo pause before acting or speaking because of uncertainty or reluctance.
Hesitate in a sentence
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Do not hesitate to ask the manager for a refund.
-
She tends to hesitate before signing any long contract.
Where does hesitate come from?
Language of origin: Latin
This word comes from the Latin verb haesitare, which meant 'to stick fast', 'to get stuck', or figuratively 'to be undecided'. It was a frequentative form of haerere, meaning 'to cling' or 'to adhere', so the original image was of something physically stuck in place, like feet caught in mud or words stuck in the throat. From that literal sticking sense the verb developed its mental meaning: a mind that pauses and cannot move forward smoothly. English took the word in during the early 1600s, probably with a nod to the existing French hesiter, and used it for the wavering pause before a decision. The same haerere root survives in 'adhere' and 'cohere', words about things sticking together, which is a useful reminder that the single 's' in hesitate descends straight from haesit-.
How the word is built
- haesit- (from Latin haesitare: to stick fast, to be undecided)
- -ate (verb suffix)
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