STAGGER

I. verb (~ed; ~ing) see: stake Date: 15th century intransitive verb 1. to reel from side to side ; totter , to move on unsteadily , to waver in purpose or action ; hesitate , to rock violently , transitive verb to cause to doubt or hesitate ; perplex , to cause to reel or totter, to arrange in any of various zigzags, alternations, or overlappings of position or time , ~er noun II. noun Date: 1577 an abnormal condition of domestic animals associated with damage to the central nervous system and marked by incoordination and a reeling unsteady gait, a reeling or unsteady gait or stance, an arrangement in which the leading edge of the upper wing of a biplane is advanced over that of the lower, III. adjective Date: 1918 marked by an alternating or overlapping pattern