tealtrian

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *taltrōną, *taltōną (“to sway, dangle, hesitate”), from Proto-Indo-European *del-, *dul- (“to shake, hesitate”).

Cognate with Dutch touteren (“to tremble”), Norwegian dialectal totra (“to quiver, shake”), North Frisian talt, tolt (“unstable, shaky”). Related to tilt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtæ͜ɑl.tri.ɑn/, [ˈtæ͜ɑɫ.tri.ɑn]

Verb

tealtrian

1. to shake, stagger, be unsteady, be uncertain, vacillate

   Wē tealtrigaþ tȳdran mōde hwearfiaþ hēanlīce

   We totter with feeble mind and wander with humility

   Ðȳ læs ðe ðæt ēasterlīce gescēad tealtrige

   Lest that the Easter calculation be uncertain

   Ðȳ læs se steall cyricean tealtrian ongunne

   Lest the standing (of affairs) began to shake the church

Conjugation

Conjugation of tealtrian (weak class 2)

infinitive	tealtrian	tealtrienne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	tealtriġe	tealtrode
second person singular	tealtrast	tealtrodest
third person singular	tealtraþ	tealtrode
plural	tealtriaþ	tealtrodon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	tealtriġe	tealtrode
plural	tealtriġen	tealtroden
imperative
singular	tealtra
plural	tealtriaþ
participle	present	past
	tealtriende	(ġe)tealtrod

Related terms

• tealt (“unsteady”)

Descendants

• Middle English: talteren (as talterande), toteren
  • English: tolter, totter

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “tealtrian”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.