ENGLISH
REFERENCE

loiter

v.
US //ˈɫɔɪtɝ// UK //lˈɔɪtɐ// loi·ter Archaic
Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English loitren, from Middle Dutch loteren ("to shake, wag, wobble"; > modern Dutch leuteren (“to dawdle, ramble”)), ultimately connected with a frequentative form of Proto-Germanic *lūtaną (“to bend, stoop, cower, shrink from, decline”), see lout. Cognate with Dutch leuteren (“to dawdle”), Alemannic German lottern (“to wobble”), German Lotterbube (“rascal”). More at lout, little.

© 2026 English Reference