Wavering
/ˈweɪvərɪŋ/noun
Showing indecision or an unsteady movement or change.
Did you know?English *waver* is tied to the same Germanic root as *wave*, so the word for indecision was built from the image of something physically swaying or rippling, not a mystical concept.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wabjaną
“to move to and fro, fluctuate”
Old English
OE
wafian
“to wave, brandish, move back and forth”
Middle English
ME
waveren
“to move unsteadily; to fluctuate or hesitate”
16th Century
English
waver
“to move unsteadily or be indecisive”
Modern English
English
wavering
“showing hesitation, uncertainty, or an unsteady motion”