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Origin and history of fluster

fluster(v.)

early 15c. (implied in flostrynge), "bluster, agitate," probably from a Scandinavian source (compare Old Norse flaustr "bustle," Icelandic flaustra "to bustle"), which is reconstructed to be from Proto-Germanic *flaustra-, probably (Watkins) from PIE *pleud-, extended form of root *pleu- "to flow."

Originally especially to agitate and excite with drink; the sense of "to flurry, confuse, embarrass as by surprise," is attested by 1724. Related: Flustered; flustering; flustery; flusterment.


fluster(n.)

"confused or agitated state of mind," 1710, from fluster (v.).

also from 1710

Entries linking to fluster

flustrated(adj.)

1712 (Steele), also flusterated, jocular formation from fluster (v.) + frustrated. Related: Flustration (1748, Richardson).

*pleu-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to flow."

It might form all or part of: fletcher; fledge; flee; fleet (adj.) "swift;" fleet (n.) "group of ships under one command;" fleet (v.) "to float, drift; flow, run;" fleeting; flight (n.1) "act of flying;" flight (n.2) "act of fleeing;" flit; float; flood; flotsam; flotilla; flow; flue; flugelhorn; fluster; flutter; fly (v.1) "move through the air with wings;" fly (n.) "winged insect;" fowl; plover; Pluto; plutocracy; pluvial; pneumo-; pneumonia; pneumonic; pulmonary.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit plavate "navigates, swims;" Greek plynein "to wash," plein "to navigate," ploein "to float, swim," plotos "floating, navigable," pyelos "trough, basin;" Latin plovere "to rain," pluvius "rainy;" Armenian luanam "I wash;" Old English flowan "to flow;" Old Church Slavonic plovo "to flow, navigate;" Lithuanian pilu, pilti "to pour out," plauju, plauti "to swim, rinse."

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    rattle
    The colloquial American English figurative meaning of "fluster, shake up, unsettle" is attested by 1869, on the notion of...
    bear
    Old English beran "to carry, bring; bring forth, give birth to, produce; to endure without resistance; to support, hold up, sustain; to wear" (class IV strong verb; past tense bær, past participle boren), from Proto-Germanic *beranan (source also of Old Saxon beran, Old Frisian b
    brae
    "steep slope," in northern England especially "the side of a hill," early 14c., from Scottish, "slope, river bank," perhaps from Old Norse bra "eyelash," cognate with Old English bræw "eyelid," German Braue "eyebrow" (see brow). "The word must have passed through the sense of 'ey
    comport
    late 14c., "to bear, endure (grief, pain, etc.; sense now obsolete), from Old French comporter "endure, admit of, allow; behave" (13c.) and directly from Latin comportare "to bring together, collect," from com "with, together" (see com-) + portare "to carry" (from PIE root *per-
    behave
    early 15c., reflexive, "conduct or comport" (oneself, in a specified manner), from be- intensive prefix + have in sense of "to have or bear (oneself) in a particular way, comport" (compare German sich behaben, French se porter). The cognate Old English compound behabban meant "to
    deport
    late 15c., "to behave," from Old French deporter "behave, deport (oneself)" (12c.), which also had a wide range of secondary meanings, such as "be patient; take one's (sexual) pleasure with; amuse, entertain; remain, delay, tarry; cheer, console, treat kindly; put aside, cast off
    confuse
    1550s in a literal sense "mix or mingle things or ideas so as to render the elements indistinguishable;" from mid-18c. in the active, figurative sense of "perplex the mind or ideas of, discomfit in mind or feeling," but not in general use until after c. 1800. From 1862 as "errone
    ruffle
    early 14c., ruffelen, "to disturb the smoothness or order of," a word of obscure origin. Similar forms are found in Scandinavian (such as Old Norse hrufla "to scratch") and Low German (ruffelen "to wrinkle, curl;" Middle Low German ruffen "to fornicate"), but the exact relation a
    acquit
    mid-13c., aquiten, "repay, reciprocate, reward or retaliate for" (a good or bad deed); c. 1300 as "satisfy a debt; redeem (a pledge)," from Old French aquiter, acquiter "pay, pay up, settle a claim" (12c., Modern French acquitter), from a- "to" (see ad-) + quite "free, clear," fr
    conduct
    early 15c., "to guide, accompany and show the way," from Latin conductus, past participle of conducere "to lead or bring together; contribute, serve," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + ducere "to lead" (from PIE root *deuk- "to lead"). Sense of "to lead,

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