Meaning

noun the act of pausing uncertainly

verb be unsure or weak

verb move hesitatingly, as if about to give way

originFrom Middle English falteren (“to stagger; be unsteady, tremble, quiver; to stammer; be entangled, get caught”), further origin unknown. Probably from a North Germanic source such as Old Norse faltrask (“to hesitate, be puzzled, be encumbered”). May also be a frequentative of fold, although the change from d to t is unusual.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0