totter1

 
Pronunciation: /ˈtɒtə/

verb

[no object, with adverbial]
  • move in a feeble or unsteady way: a hunched figure tottering down the path
  • (usually as adjective tottering) (of a building) shake or rock as if about to collapse: tottering, gutted houses
  • be insecure or about to fail: the pharmaceutical industry has tottered from crisis to crisis

noun

[in singular]
  • a feeble or unsteady gait.

Derivatives

totterer

noun

tottery

adjective

Origin:

Middle English: from Middle Dutch touteren 'to swing' (the original sense in English)