WAVER

waver, flutter, flicker

(noun) the act of moving back and forth

hesitation, waver, falter, faltering

(noun) the act of pausing uncertainly; “there was a hesitation in his speech”

waver

(noun) someone who communicates by waving

quaver, waver

(verb) give off unsteady sounds, alternating in amplitude or frequency

waver, weave

(verb) sway from side to side

fluctuate, vacillate, waver

(verb) move or sway in a rising and falling or wavelike pattern; “the line on the monitor vacillated”

flicker, waver, flitter, flutter, quiver

(verb) move back and forth very rapidly; “the candle flickered”

falter, waver

(verb) move hesitatingly, as if about to give way

hesitate, waver, waffle

(verb) pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness; “Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures”

falter, waver

(verb) be unsure or weak; “Their enthusiasm is faltering”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

waver (third-person singular simple present wavers, present participle wavering, simple past and past participle wavered)

(intransitive) To sway back and forth; to totter or reel.

(intransitive) To flicker, glimmer, quiver, as a weak light.

(intransitive) To fluctuate or vary, as commodity prices or a poorly sustained musical pitch.

(intransitive) To shake or tremble, as the hands or voice.

(intransitive) To falter; become unsteady; begin to fail or give way.

(intransitive) To be indecisive between choices; to feel or show doubt or indecision; to vacillate.

Noun

waver (plural wavers)

An act of wavering, vacillating, etc.

Someone who waves, enjoys waving, etc.

Someone who specializes in waving (hair treatment).

A tool that accomplishes hair waving.

(UK, dialect, dated) A sapling left standing in a fallen wood.

Source: Wiktionary

Wa"ver, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Wavered; p. pr. & vb. n. Wavering.] Etym: [OE. waveren, from AS. wæfre wavering, restless. See Wave, v. i.]

1. To play or move to and fro; to move one way and the other; hence, to totter; to reel; to swing; to flutter. With banners and pennons wavering with the wind. Ld. Berners. Thou wouldst waver on one of these trees as a terror to all evil speakers against dignities. Sir W. Scott.

2. To be unsettled in opinion; to vacillate; to be undetermined; to fluctuate; as, to water in judgment. Let us hold fast . . . without wavering. Heb. x. 23. In feeble hearts, propense enough before To waver, or fall off and join with idols. Milton.

Syn.

– To reel; totter; vacillate. See Fluctuate.

Wa"ver, n. Etym: [From Wave, or Waver, v.]

Definition: A sapling left standing in a fallen wood. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition