Emily Dickinson Lexicon

FAL'TER, v.i. [Sp. faltar, to be deficient, from falta, fault, defect, failing, from falir, to fail, falla, fault, defect; Port. faltar, to want, to miss; from L. fallo, the primary sense of which is to fall short, or to err, to miss, to deviate.]

1. To hesitate, fail or break in the utterance of words; to speak with a broken or trembling utterance; to stammer. His tongue falters. He speaks with a faltering tongue. He falters at the question.
2. To fail, tremble or yield in exertion; not to be firm and steady. His legs falter. Wiseman.
3. To fail in the regular exercise of the understanding. We observe idiots to falter. Locke.