Stumble

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈstʌmbəl/

Definitions

1. To trip or almost fall by losing footing unexpectedly ; to make an error or lapse in judgment or performance ; to speak or act with uncertainty or hesitation
2. To lose balance and nearly fall while walking or running ; to err or fail in execution or understanding ; to falter in speech or behavior showing doubt
3. To momentarily lose stability in movement ; to commit a mistake or blunder ; to pause or hesitate when speaking or doing something

Etymology: The verb "stumble" has a surprisingly close relationship with words for silence. It descends from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to trip up" or "to stammer, stutter", the same root that gave German "stumm" ("mute") and Dutch "stom" ("dumb"). The link makes sense once you notice that stammering and tripping both involve a sudden halt or catch in the flow of movement or speech, so the physical sense of faltering and the verbal sense of breaking down in speech grew from a single idea. "Stumble" is a doublet of "stammer", meaning the two English words came from the same ancestral root but reached modern English along different paths and took on different senses. "Stammer" kept the speech-related meaning, while "stumble" settled on the literal act of tripping over one's feet.

Synonyms: trip, slip, falter, blunder

Antonyms: steady, succeed