Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Hesitate \Hes"i*tate\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Hesitated}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Hesitating}.] [L. haesitatus, p. p. of haesitare,
intens. fr. haerere to hesitate, stick fast; to hang or hold
fast. Cf. {Aghast}, {Gaze}, {Adhere}.]
1. To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in
suspense or uncertainty as to a determination; as, he
hesitated whether to accept the offer or not; men often
hesitate in forming a judgment. --Pope.
2. To stammer; to falter in speaking.
Syn: To doubt; waver; scruple; deliberate; demur; falter;
stammer.
Hesitate \Hes"i*tate\, v. t.
To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant
manner. [Poetic & R.]
Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike. --Pope.
Source : WordNet®
hesitate
v 1: pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness;
"Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures" [syn: {waver},
{waffle}]
2: interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing; "The
speaker paused" [syn: {pause}]