Stagger
/ˈstæɡ.ər/noun
To walk or move unsteadily, or to shock or astonish someone.
Did you know?The verb likely began with the sense of moving unsteadily or swaying, and only later developed the figurative meaning “to astonish or shock,” as if the truth itself could make you reel.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*stagraz
“Unsteady, staggering, or swaying”
Old Norse
ON
stakra
“To stumble or totter”
Middle English
ME
staggeren
“To reel, stagger, or walk unsteadily”
16th Century
English
stagger
“To move or cause to move unsteadily; later, to shock or astonish”
Modern English
English
stagger
“To walk unsteadily or to surprise deeply”