loiter

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*lūtaną“to bend, stoop, cower, shrink from, decline”
2. Middle Dutch · derived fromloteren
3. Middle English · inherited fromloitren
4. English todayloiter

From Middle English loitren, from Middle Dutch loteren ("to shake, wag, wobble"; > modern Dutch leuteren (“to dawdle, ramble”)), ultimately connected with a frequentative form of Proto-Germanic *lūtaną (“to bend, stoop, cower, shrink from, decline”), see lout. Cognate with Dutch leuteren (“to dawdle”), Alemannic German lottern (“to wobble”), German lottern (“live a slovenly life”). More at lout, little.

Words from the same roots