loiter

Where does the word "loiter" come from? It comes from Middle Dutch loteren, passing through Middle English before entering English (1800s).

Loiter’s story begins in Middle Dutch: loteren meant “to wobble, be idle.” Meant to wag or be loose, like a slack sail. By 1400s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as loiteren. First applied to idle vagrants. It reached English by 1800s as loiter. Became a legal term in vagrancy laws. Today, loiter means to stand or wait around idly without apparent purpose.

1. Stage 1 · Middle Dutch · medieval loteren "to wobble, be idle", meant to wag or be loose, like a slack sail.
2. Stage 2 · Middle English · 1400s loiteren "to idle", first applied to idle vagrants.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s loiter "to linger aimlessly", became a legal term in vagrancy laws.