flutter means the act of fluttering, or multiple acts thereof; the back-and-forth motion of fluttering; a state of fluttering. It carries an Arena rating of 1867, earned across 19 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, flutter ranks #143 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #500 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,891 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #2,099 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
flutter is pronounced /ˈflʌtə/.
Why “flutter” is a great word
To move or cause to move with a quick, light, and irregular motion, such as the flapping of wings or the quivering of leaves. From Middle English *floteren*, from Old English *floterian*, *flotorian* ("to float about, flutter"), a frequentative form of *flotian* ("to float"). Unlike "flap" (which suggests a broader, heavier, more deliberate beat) or "hover" (which implies a steady, suspended stillness), "flutter" is agitation given a rhythm. It is the urgent, papery trembling of a moth against a lampshade; the collective, indecisive shiver of aspen leaves in a sudden breeze; the wild, hopeful stutter of a trapped bird in the hands—the signature of a fragile thing alive with uncontainable energy.
Etymology
From Middle English floteren, from Old English floterian, flotorian (“to float about, flutter”), from Proto-Germanic *flutrōną, frequentative of Proto-Germanic *flutōną (“to float”), equivalent to float + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with West Frisian flodderje (“to flutter, beat”), Dutch flodderen (“to flutter, wave”), Low German fluttern, fluddern (“to flutter”), German flittern (“to sparkle, glitter”). More at float.
noun
- The act of fluttering, or multiple acts thereof; the back-and-forth motion of fluttering; a state of fluttering.
- The act of fluttering, or multiple acts thereof; the back-and-forth motion of fluttering; a state of fluttering.; The collective flutter of many similar objects.e.g.“leaf flutter; feather flutter”
- The act of fluttering, or multiple acts thereof; the back-and-forth motion of fluttering; a state of fluttering.; A flapping, crackling or rustling sound, as from a fluttering motion or any comparable sound; any series of quick repetitive sounds.e.g.“I eventually found the source of the flutter, which came from clothes on a clothesline swaying with the wind.”
- The act of fluttering, or multiple acts thereof; the back-and-forth motion of fluttering; a state of fluttering.; A flapping, crackling or rustling sound, as from a fluttering motion or any comparable sound; any series of quick repetitive sounds.; A sound that spreads in the manner of a wave or ripple.e.g.“A flutter of gasps spread over the crowd.”
- The act of fluttering, or multiple acts thereof; the back-and-forth motion of fluttering; a state of fluttering.; The rapid up-and-down movement of the eyelids, and consequently eyelashes, often seen as intentionally flirtatious or alluring and often attributed to the eyes or eyebrows.e.g.“He couldn't help but feel more attracted to her with each flutter of her eyes/lashes/eyelids.”
- The act of fluttering, or multiple acts thereof; the back-and-forth motion of fluttering; a state of fluttering.; The movement a hand fan with a back-and-forth action using flicks of the wrist, so as to produce a graceful wave-like effect.e.g.“The flutter of the geisha's fan was elegant.”
- The act of fluttering, or multiple acts thereof; the back-and-forth motion of fluttering; a state of fluttering.; The leg motion of various strokes in swimming, especially the flutter kick.e.g.“The flutter of your legs will propel you through the water, when you execute a proper flutter kick.”
- The act of fluttering, or multiple acts thereof; the back-and-forth motion of fluttering; a state of fluttering.; The motion or state of falling while fluttering or falling as to produce fluttering.e.g.“Winged helicopter seeds fall with rapid flutters to the ground.”
- A quick and irregular motion or vibration, or multiple such motions.e.g.“The irregular back-and-forth flutter of this fishing lure imitates the movement of an injured or sick fish.”
- A quick and irregular motion or vibration, or multiple such motions.; The trembling movement of an iris caused by a lack of support from the lens or as a complication of cataract surgery.e.g.“It's important to note any flutter in the iris.”
- A quick and irregular motion or vibration, or multiple such motions.; The vibration, shaking or flapping of fabric, such as in a kite, parachute or sail; the condition of having such a flutter.e.g.“kite flutter; parachute flutter; sail flutter”
- A quick and irregular motion or vibration, or multiple such motions.; The vibration of a bird's throat by rapidly pumping air into it with the mouth open in order to reduce excess body heat; gular flutter.e.g.“Witness the flutter of its neck, which helps to lower the bird's body temperature.”
- A quick and irregular motion or vibration, or multiple such motions.; A method of articulation in playing wind instruments by curving the tongue at the sides and exhaling air over it to make it vibrate; flutter-tongue.e.g.“I've never been able to achieve a proper flutter on my flute.”
- A quick and irregular motion or vibration, or multiple such motions.; Any of several vocal effects, actions, techniques or conditions, notably tremolo, vibrato and trill, which are deliberately cultivated, as well as the neurological disorder vocal tremor or general strain.e.g.“I love the flutter of the singer's voice. I could never develop the flutter needed to do that. Her flutter is excellent.”
- A quick and irregular motion or vibration, or multiple such motions.; An exception to, or fluctuation in, a pattern; a minor and temporary deviation from an expectation; a blip in a trend; a transient shift in allegiance.e.g.“Despite an occasional flutter, the water current still flows in the same direction as always.”
verb
- To flap or wave quickly but irregularly.e.g.“flags fluttering in the wind”
- Of a winged animal: to flap the wings without flying; to fly with a light flapping of the wings.e.g.“Banks of gorgeous flowers were on every hand, and birds with rare and brilliant plumage sang and fluttered in the trees and bushes.” — 1900 May 17, L[yman] Frank Baum, “The Council with the Munchkins”, in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Geo[rge] M[elvin] Hill Co., →OCLC, page 20:
- To undergo divergent oscillations (potentially to the point of causing structural failure) due to a positive feedback loop between elastic deformation and aerodynamic forces.
- To cause something to flap.e.g.“A bird flutters its wings.”
- To drive into disorder; to throw into confusion.e.g.“If you haue vvrit your Annales true, 'tis there, / That like an Eagle in a Doue-cote, I / Flatter'd^([sic – meaning Flutter'd]) your Volcians in Corioles.” — c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] B
- To be in a state of agitation or uncertainty.e.g.“It was fluttering with nervousness like a human heart. He was all in a sweat with fear, and—do you know, I don't believe the rascal is a Robot at all any longer.” — c. 1921 (date written), Karel Čapek, translated by Paul Selver, R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots): A Fantastic Melodrama […], Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1923, →OCLC, Act
- To be frivolous.
- To subject to a lie detector test.e.g.“This was the first time that Nosenko had been subjected to a lie detector — or what the CIA called fluttering. The Soviet Union did not use such devices for interrogation.” — 1978, Edward Jay Epstein, Legend: The Secret World of Lee Harvey Oswald, page 38:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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