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fluttering

 - 5 dictionary results

flut⋅ter

  [fluht-er]
–verb (used without object)
1. to wave, flap, or toss about: Banners fluttered in the breeze.
2. to flap the wings rapidly; fly with flapping movements.
3. to move in quick, irregular motions; vibrate.
4. to beat rapidly, as the heart.
5. to be tremulous or agitated.
6. to go with irregular motions or aimless course: to flutter back and forth.
–verb (used with object)
7. to cause to flutter; vibrate; agitate.
8. to throw into nervous or tremulous excitement; cause mental agitation; confuse.
–noun
9. a fluttering movement: He made little nervous flutters with his hands.
10. a state of nervous excitement or mental agitation: a flutter of anticipation.
11. flutter kick.
12. Audio. a variation in pitch resulting from rapid fluctuations in the speed of a recording. Compare wow 2 (def. 1).
13. Chiefly British. a small wager or speculative investment.
Use fluttering in a Sentence
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME floteren, OE floterian, freq. of flotian to float

Related forms:
flut⋅ter⋅er, noun
flut⋅ter⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
2. See fly 1 . 10. flurry, twitter, stir, dither.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To fluttering
flut·ter   (flŭt'ər)   
v.   flut·tered, flut·ter·ing, flut·ters

v.   intr.

  1. To wave or flap rapidly in an irregular manner: curtains that fluttered in the breeze.

    1. To fly by a quick light flapping of the wings.

    2. To flap the wings without flying.

  3. To move or fall in a manner suggestive of tremulous flight: "Her arms rose, fell, and fluttered with the rhythm of the song" (Evelyn Waugh).

  4. To vibrate or beat rapidly or erratically: My heart fluttered wildly.

  5. To move quickly in a nervous, restless, or excited fashion; flit.

v.   tr.
To cause to flutter: "fluttering her bristly black lashes as swiftly as butterflies' wings" (Margaret Mitchell).
n.  

  1. The act of fluttering.

  2. A condition of nervous excitement or agitation: Everyone was in a flutter over the news that the director was resigning.

  3. A commotion; a stir.

  4. Pathology Abnormally rapid pulsation, especially of the atria or ventricles of the heart.

  5. Rapid fluctuation in the pitch of a sound reproduction resulting from variations in the speed of the recording or reproducing equipment.

  6. Chiefly British A small bet; a gamble: "If they like a flutter, Rick will get them better odds than the bookies" (John le Carré).


[Middle English floteren, from Old English floterian; see pleu- in Indo-European roots.]
flut'ter·er n., flut'ter·y adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

flutter 
O.E. floterian "float to and fro, be tossed by waves," freq. of fleotan "to fleet" (see fleet (n.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: flut·ter
Pronunciation: 'fl&t-&r
Function: noun
: an abnormal rapid spasmodic and usually rhythmic motion or contraction of a bodypart flutter> flutter> —flutter intransitive verb
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

flutter flut·ter (flŭt'ər)
n.
Abnormally rapid pulsation, especially of the atria or ventricles of the heart.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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