stagger

Where does the word "stagger" come from? It comes from Old Norse stakra, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Stagger’s story begins in Old Norse: stakra meant “to totter, to reel.” 'staggered' start times date from the 1900s. It reached English by 1300s as stagger. Settled as the English word for walking unsteadily. Today, stagger means to walk or move unsteadily, as if about to fall, or to arrange things at intervals.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval stakra "to totter, to reel", 'staggered' start times date from the 1900s.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s stagger "to walk or move unsteadily", settled as the English word for walking unsteadily.