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Teeter

//ˈtiːtə// name, noun, verb

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname from German.
Noun
  1. 1
    A teeter-totter or seesaw. Canada, US
  2. 2
    a plaything consisting of a board balanced on a fulcrum; the board is ridden up and down by children at either end wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To tilt back and forth on an edge. intransitive

    "He teetered on the brink of the precipice."

  2. 2
    move unsteadily, with a rocking motion wordnet
  3. 3
    To totter (move unsteadily). intransitive

    "How many other organizations have sprung up amidst apparently unlimited energy, been the focus of a great deal of activism and education, and then begun to diminish? Some teeter along for a long time even though their base of support seems to have eroded; some metamorphose into something else entirely. Others die, and their death may be more or less peaceful, more or less guilt-riddled."

  4. 4
    To be indecisive; to hesitate. figuratively

    "We teetered on the fence about buying getaway tickets and missed the opportunity."

  5. 5
    To be close to becoming a typically negative situation. figuratively

    "Despite appearances, the firm was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Alteration of titter.

Etymology 2

Alteration of titter.

Etymology 3

Americanized spelling of German Dieter.

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