straucheln

From Middle High German strūcheln, iterative of strūchen, from Old High German strūhhōn. Equivalent to obsolete strauchen +‎ -eln. Cognate with Dutch struikelen.

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃtraʊ̯xəln/
• Hyphenation: strau‧cheln

• Audio:

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straucheln (weak, third-person singular present strauchelt, past tense strauchelte, past participle gestrauchelt, auxiliary sein)

1. to stumble; to fall or nearly fall
   • 1912, Martin Luther, Lutherbibel von 1912, 2 Peter 1:10 (with KJV translation)

     Darum, liebe Brüder, tut desto mehr Fleiß, eure Berufung und Erwählung festzumachen; denn wo ihr solches tut, werdet ihr nicht straucheln

     Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall

2. (figurative) to stumble, to falter

• The word is a near-synonym of commoner stolpern. However, straucheln implies that there is, if not an actual fall, at least an immediate danger of falling, whereas stolpern may mean just a slight tripping with no further impact. Moreover, straucheln may also refer to someone who loses their balance for another reason, such as becoming faint.

• “straucheln” in Duden online
• “straucheln” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache