Swither is a verb of Scottish origin and means to hesitate; vacillate; to be perplexed.
As a noun it means hesitation; perplexity; agitation.
I love the idea of swithering - it sounds just like its
meaning. (I looked up whether there was
a word to describe a word that sounds like what it means such as hesitate but
there isn't. Onomatopoeia is about the
nearest but that refers specifically to words that represent the sound such as
bang and buzz.)
There is an expression in German for words that sound like what they mean: lautmalend. Literally, that means "painting the sound", and it fits, doesn't it!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's unusual for us not to have a word for something related to words and grammar.
DeleteA word I have used most of my life so presumably got it from Nana or Mum.
ReplyDelete