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Added 10 October 2026

dither

/ˈdɪðə/ verb

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about dither at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To tremble, shake, or shiver.
To be uncertain or unable to make a decision; to vacillate, hesitate, or delay.
To do something nervously.

noun

Trembling, shaking, or shivering.
A state of nervous excitement.
The state of being undecided; indecision; vacillation.

Origin

Variant of didder, from Middle English dideren (“to tremble”). Compare Middle English bididren, bididdren (“to seduce, deceive”), from Old English bedidrian, bedyderian (“to deceive, trick”). Alternatively, perhaps with expressive voicing from *titeren, from Proto-Germanic *titrōną. If so, then a doublet of teeter and cognate with Old High German zittarōn (German zittern) and Old Norse titra (Faroese titra, Icelandic titra). Alternatively an unrelated reduplicative onomatopoeia.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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