hesitate
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Alternative forms
- hæsitate (archaic)
[edit] Etymology
From Latin haesitatus, past participle of haesitare, intensive of haerere (“to hesitate, stick fast; to hang or hold fast”). Compare aghast, gaze, adhere.
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈhɛzɪteɪt/
[edit] Verb
hesitate (third-person singular simple present hesitates, present participle hesitating, simple past and past participle hesitated)
- (intransitive) To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.
- Alexander Pope,
- He hesitated whether to accept the offer or not; men often hesitate in forming a judgment.
- Alexander Pope,
- (intransitive) To stammer; to falter in speaking.
- (transitive, poetic, rare) To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner.
- Alexander Pope,
- Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike.
- Alexander Pope,
[edit] Usage notes
- This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
To stop or pause respecting decision or action
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To stammer; to falter in speaking
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
[edit] External links
- hesitate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- hesitate in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- hesitate at OneLook Dictionary Search
