Etymology

hesitate

H4E1S1I1T1A1T1E1

Today it means: To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination. Full definition →

Latin haesitātus
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The story

  1. Latinhaereō
  2. Latinhaesitō
  3. Latinhaesitātus
  4. English todayhesitate

Borrowed from Latin haesitātus, perfect passive participle of haesitō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), intensive of haereō (“to hesitate, stick fast; to hang or hold fast”). Displaced native Old English wandian. Compare French hésiter.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.