Link Centre Dictionary

flutter

flut·ter

UK/ˈflʌtə/ US/ˈflʌtɚ/ uncommon dated obsolete slang uk
verb (4) noun (4)

verb

1.
2.

move back and forth very rapidly

  • “the candle flickered”
Synonyms
3.

beat rapidly

  • “His heart palpitated”
Synonyms
4.

wink briefly

  • “bat one”
Synonyms

noun

1.

the act of moving back and forth

Synonyms
2.

abnormally rapid beating of the auricles of the heart (especially in a regular rhythm); can result in heart block

3.

a disorderly outburst or tumult

  • “they were amazed by the furious disturbance they had caused”
Synonyms
4.

the motion made by flapping up and down

Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English floteren, from Old English floterian, flotorian (“to float about, flutter”), from Proto-Germanic *flutrōną, frequentative of Proto-Germanic *flutōną (“to float”), equivalent to float + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with West Frisian flodderje (“to flutter, beat”), Dutch flodderen (“to flutter, wave”), Low German fluttern, fluddern (“to flutter”), German flittern (“to sparkle, glitter”). More at float.

Phrases

  • flutter in the dovecote
  • flutter kick
  • flutter the dovecot
  • flutter tongue
  • flutter wheel
  • fluttering elm
  • synchronous diaphragmatic flutter
  • take a flutter

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.