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Startles

[stahr-tl] Origin

star·tle

[stahr-tl] verb, -tled, -tling, noun
verb (used with object)
1.
to disturb or agitate suddenly as by surprise or alarm.
2.
to cause to start involuntarily, by or as by a sudden shock.
verb (used without object)
3.
to start involuntarily, as from a shock of surprise or alarm.

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Startles is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
noun
4.
a sudden shock of surprise, alarm, or the like.
5.
something that startles.

Origin:
before 1100; Middle English stertlen to rush, caper, equivalent to stert(en) to start + -(e)len -le, or continuing Old English steartlian to kick, struggle

star·tle·ment, noun
star·tler, noun
out·star·tle, verb (used with object), -tled, -tling.
un·star·tled, adjective


1. scare, frighten, astonish. See shock1.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

startle
c.1300, "run to and fro," frequentative of sterten (see start). Sense of "move suddenly in surprise or fear" first recorded 1530. Trans. meaning "frighten suddenly" is from 1595. The word retains more of the original meaning of start (v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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