loiter
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Middle English loitren, from Middle Dutch loteren (“to shake, wag, wobble”), ultimately connected with a frequentative form of Proto-Germanic *lūtaną (“to bend, stoop, cower, shrink from, decline”), see lout. Cognate with Modern Dutch leuteren (“to dawdle”), Swiss German lottern (“to wobble”), German Lotterbube (“rascal”). More at lout, little.
Pronunciation [edit]
Verb [edit]
loiter (third-person singular simple present loiters, present participle loitering, simple past and past participle loitered)
- To stand about without any aim or purpose; to stand about idly; to linger; to hang around.
- For some reason, they discourage loitering outside the store, but encourage it inside.
Translations [edit]
to stand about idly
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