[stag.ger] vb stag.gered ; stag.ger.ing [alter. of earlier stacker, fr. ME stakeren, fr. ON stakra, freq. of staka to push; perh. akin to OE staca stake--more at stake] vi (15c) 1 a: to reel from side to side: totter b: to move on unsteadily
2: to waver in purpose or action: hesitate
3: to rock violently "the ship ~ed" ~ vt 1: to cause to doubt or hesitate: perplex
2: to cause to reel or totter
3: to arrange in any of various zigzags, alternations, or overlappings of position or time "~ work shifts" "~ teeth on a cutter" -- stag.ger.er n
[2]stagger n (1577) 1 pl but sing or pl in constr: an abnormal condition of domestic mammals and birds associated with damage to the central nervous system and marked by incoordination and a reeling unsteady gait
2: a reeling or unsteady gait or stance
3: an arrangement in which the leading edge of the upper wing of a biplane is advanced over that of the lower [3]stagger adj (1875): marked by an alternating or overlapping pattern