dither

What it means

1. intransitiveliterallyTo tremble, shake, or shiver.

   Presently he came running out of the scullery, with the soapy water dripping from him, dithering with cold.

   1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “chapter 8”, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC

2. figurativelyintransitiveTo be uncertain or unable to make a decision; to vacillate, hesitate, or delay.

   2012, The Economist, Sept. 22nd issue, "Indian Reform: At Last" The dithering Mr Singh of recent times may worry that his reform proposals are already too bold. The reforming Mr Singh of yore would see them as just the start.

3. intransitiveTo do something nervously.

In a sentence

Presently he came running out of the scullery, with the soapy water dripping from him, dithering with cold.

1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “chapter 8”, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC

Where it comes from

1. Proto-Germanic*titrōną
2. Middle Englishdideren“to tremble”
3. Englishdither

Variant of didder, from Middle English dideren (“to tremble”). Compare Middle English bididren, bididdren (“to seduce, deceive”), from Old English bedidrian, bedyderian (“to deceive, trick”). Alternatively, perhaps with expressive voicing from *titeren, from Proto-Germanic *titrōną. If so, then a doublet of teeter and cognate with Old High German zittarōn (German zittern) and Old Norse titra (Faroese titra, Icelandic titra). Alternatively an unrelated reduplicative onomatopoeia.