FLOUNDER

flounder

(noun) any of various European and non-European marine flatfish

flounder

(noun) flesh of any of various American and European flatfish

stagger, flounder

(verb) walk with great difficulty; “He staggered along in the heavy snow”

flounder

(verb) behave awkwardly; have difficulties; “She is floundering in college”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

flounder (plural flounders or flounder)

A European species of flatfish having dull brown colouring with reddish-brown blotches; fluke, European flounder, Platichthys flesus.

(North America) Any of various flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae or Bothidae.

A bootmaker's tool for crimping boot fronts.

Etymology 2

Verb

flounder (third-person singular simple present flounders, present participle floundering, simple past and past participle floundered)

(intransitive) To flop around as a fish out of water.

(intransitive) To make clumsy attempts to move or regain one's balance.

(intransitive) To act clumsily or confused; to struggle or be flustered.

To be in serious difficulty.

Usage notes

Frequently confused with the verb founder. The difference is one of severity; floundering (struggling to maintain a position) comes before foundering (losing it completely by falling, sinking or failing).

Anagrams

• unfolder

Source: Wiktionary


Floun"der, n. Etym: [Cf. Sw. flundra; akin to Dan. flynder, Icel. fly, G. flunder, and perh. to E. flounder, v.i.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Definition: A flatfish of the family Pleuronectidæ, of many species.

Note: The common English flounder is Pleuronectes flesus. There are several common American species used as food; as the smooth flounder (P. glabra); the rough or winter flounder (P. Americanus); the summer flounder, or plaice (Paralichthys dentatus), Atlantic coast; and the starry flounder (Pleuronectes stellatus).

2. (Bootmaking)

Definition: A tool used in crimping boot fronts.

Floun"der, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Floundered; p. pr. & vb. n. Floundering.] Etym: [Cf. D. flodderen to flap, splash through mire, E. flounce, v.i., and flounder the fish.]

Definition: To fling the limbs and body, as in making efforts to move; to struggle, as a horse in the mire, or as a fish on land; to roll, toss, and tumble; to flounce. They have floundered on from blunder to blunder. Sir W. Hamilton.

Floun"der, n.

Definition: The act of floundering.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

29 March 2024

FAULTFINDING

(adjective) tending to make moral judgments or judgments based on personal opinions; “a counselor tries not to be faultfinding”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee press is 230 cm (7 ft 6 in) in height and 72 cm (2 ft 4 in) in diameter and was created by Salzillo Tea and Coffee (Spain) in Murcia, Spain, in February 2007. The cafetière consists of a stainless steel container, a filtering piston, and a superior lid.

coffee icon