fumble
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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Late Middle English, from Low German fommeln or Dutch fommelen.
Or, perhaps from a Scandinavian/North Germanic source; compare Old Norse fálma, Swedish fumla, Danish fumle, German fummeln.
The ultimate origin for either could perhaps be imitative of fumbling. Or, from Proto-Indo-European *pal- (“to shake, swing”), see also Latin palpo (“I pat, touch softly”), and possibly Proto-West Germanic *fōlijan (“to feel”).
Verb
fumble (third-person singular simple present fumbles, present participle fumbling, simple past and past participle fumbled)
- (transitive, intransitive) To handle nervously or awkwardly.
- Waiting for the interview, he fumbled with his tie.
- He fumbled the key into the lock.
- (transitive, intransitive) To grope awkwardly in trying to find something
- He fumbled for his keys.
- He fumbled his way to the light-switch.
- 1742, Henry Fielding, “In which the Gentleman Relates the History of His Life”, in The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews, and of His Friend Mr. Abraham Adams. , volume II, London: A Millar, , →OCLC, book III, page 52:
- Adams novv began to fumble in his Pockets, and ſoon cried out, O la! I have it [a sermon] not about me— […]
- (intransitive) To blunder uncertainly.
- He fumbled through his prepared speech.
- To grope about in perplexity; to seek awkwardly.
- to fumble for an excuse
- 1711 August 12, Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, letter to Dr. Chevenix:
- My understanding stutters, and my memory fumbles.
- 1800, Wordsworth, Written in Germany on one of the coldest days of the century:
- Alas! how he fumbles about the domains.
- (transitive, intransitive, sports) To drop a ball or a baton etc. by accident.
- To handle much; to play childishly; to turn over and over.
- 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :
- I saw him fumble with the sheets, and play with flowers.
- (slang, obsolete) Of a man, to sexually underperform.
Synonyms
- (grope awkwardly): grubble, poke; see also Thesaurus:feel around
Derived terms
Translations
to handle nervously or awkwardly
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to grope awkwardly in trying to find something
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to blunder uncertainly
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to drop a ball or a baton etc
Noun
fumble (plural fumbles)
- (sports, American football, Canadian football) A ball etc. that has been dropped by accident.
Translations
Etymology 2
Noun
fumble (plural fumbles)
Further reading
References
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “fumble”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) chapter 2313, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 2313