Meaning

noun the act of moving back and forth

noun abnormally rapid beating of the auricles of the heart (especially in a regular rhythm); can result in heart block

noun a disorderly outburst or tumult

originFrom Middle English floteren, from Old English floterian, flotorian (“to float about, flutter”), from Proto-Germanic *flutrōną, frequentative of Proto-Germanic *flutōną (“to float”), equivalent to float + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with West Frisian flodderje (“to flutter, beat”), Dutch flodderen (“to flutter, wave”), Low German fluttern, fluddern (“to flutter”), German flittern (“to…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0