halting
halting Lexical Profile
halting Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Slow and hesitant, especially through lack of confidence; faltering.
"The witness gave a halting account of the events, pausing frequently to collect his thoughts."
Walking with a limp or an unsteady, hobbling gait; lame.
"After spraining his ankle on the trail, the hiker made his way back to camp with a slow, halting step."
Word Nuance & Usage
Although identical in spelling to the present participle of the modern verb 'halt' (meaning to stop completely), the adjective 'halting' actually derives from an older, distinct verb 'halt' meaning to limp or falter, and therefore describes unsteady or hesitant progress rather than a total stop.
• Rhymes for halting
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the Middle English verb 'halten' (to limp or walk lamely), from Old English 'healtian', which is related to the adjective 'healt' (lame), of Proto-Germanic origin.