PALTER

Etymology

Verb

palter (third-person singular simple present palters, present participle paltering, simple past and past participle paltered)

To talk insincerely; to prevaricate or equivocate in speech or actions.

(now rare) To trifle.

To haggle.

To babble; to chatter.

Anagrams

• Alpert, Plater, plater, replat

Source: Wiktionary


Pal"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Paltered; p. pr. & vb. n. Paltering.] Etym: [See Paltry.]

1. To haggle. [Obs.] Cotgrave.

2. To act in insincere or deceitful manner; to play false; to equivocate; to shift; to dodge; to trifle. Romans, that have spoke the word, And will not palter. Shak. Who never sold the truth to serve the hour, Nor paltered with eternal God for power. Tennyson.

3. To babble; to chatter. [Obs.]

Pal"ter, v. t.

Definition: To trifle with; to waste; to squander in paltry ways or on worthless things. [Obs.] "Palter out your time in the penal statutes." Beau. & Fl.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

22 February 2025

ANALYSIS

(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., ‘the father of the bride’ instead of ‘the bride’s father’


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