Dictionary

flounder en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈflaʊ̯ndɚ/ (Canadian, General-American, Standard)
• (US) audio
• /ˈflæʊ̯ndɚ/ Southern US, Midland US, Mid-Atlantic US, New York City, /aʊ̯/-fronting
• /ˈflaʊ̯ndəː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈflæʊ̯ndəː/ Australia, New Zealand, /aʊ̯/-fronting
• /ˈflaːndəː/ General South African, /aʊ̯/-monophthongization
• /ˈflaːndɚ/ Pittsburgh, /aʊ̯/-monophthongization

Etymology

From Middle English flowndre, from Anglo-Norman floundre, from Old Northern French flondre, from Old Norse flyðra, from Proto-Germanic *flunþrijǭ. Cognate with Danish flynder, German Flunder, Swedish flundra.

Meanings

1. A European species of flatfish having dull brown colouring with reddish-brown blotches; fluke, European flounder (Platichthys flesus).
   • Water Souchy. Eels, whitings, soles, flounders, and mackerel are generally used. Stew it in clear fish stock, until done, eight minutes will be enough; add cayenne, catsup, an anchovy, and any other flavouring ingredient; let it boil up, skim, and serve hot altogether in a tureen. 1851, Anne Cobbett, The English Housekeeper, Chapter 13:
2. (Canada, US) Any of various flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae or Bothidae.
   • Blackfishing from the beach. I've done my research. Hundreds of shipwrecks line the Jersey coast, and many of them are close enough to reach with a long cast on a dead-low tide. These wrecks hold tautog, porgies, sea bass, flounder. 2014, Nick Honachefsky, The Jersey Surf Diaries:
3. A bootmaker's tool for crimping boot fronts.

Forms

Deriveds

Georges Bank flounder · greenback flounder · grey flouder · southern flounder · winter flounder · barfin flounder · flounderer · yellowtail flounder · great flounder · flounderling · starry flounder · black flounder · diamond flounder · blackback flounder · blackfin flounder · gray flounder · Baltic flounder · four-spotted flounder · water flounder · peppered flounder · windowpane flounder · summer flounder · pole flounder · pound one's flounder · Gulf flounder · eel-back flounder · fourspot flounder · armless flounder · left-eyed flounder · righteye flounder · arrowtooth flounder · flowery flounder · California flounder · European flounder · flounderlike · peacock flounder · sand flounder · craig flounder · olive flounder · witch flounder · flounder house

Translations (41)

sh иверак (Platichthys flesus) · tr pisi balığı (Platichthys flesus) · fi kampela (Platichthys flesus) · gl lirpa (Platichthys flesus) · pl flądra (Platichthys flesus) · el ψήσσα (Platichthys flesus) · tl tatampal (Platichthys flesus) · sv flundra (Platichthys flesus) · eu platuxa latz (Platichthys flesus) · ast xoyu (Platichthys flesus) · da skrubbe (Platichthys flesus) · nrf fliandre (Platichthys flesus) · fr flet (Platichthys flesus) · cs flundra obecná (Platichthys flesus) · el πλευρονήκτης (Platichthys flesus) · pl fląderka (Platichthys flesus) · pl stornia (Platichthys flesus) · ca plana (Platichthys flesus) · eo fleso (Platichthys flesus) · lt upinė plekšnė (Platichthys flesus) · cmn 川鰈 /川鲽 (Platichthys flesus) · ru речна́я ка́мбала (Platichthys flesus) · no skrubbe (Platichthys flesus) · cs platýs bradavičnatý (Platichthys flesus) · mi pātiki (Platichthys flesus) · pt linguado (Platichthys flesus) · nl bot (Platichthys flesus) · sv skrubbskädda (Platichthys flesus) · ga leith (Platichthys flesus) · da flynder (Platichthys flesus) · bg камбала (Platichthys flesus) · et lest (Platichthys flesus) · pt solha (Platichthys flesus) · ast soyu (Platichthys flesus) · lut p'uay' (Platichthys flesus) · ga leadhbóg (Platichthys flesus) · hu érdes lepényhal (Platichthys flesus) · es platija (Platichthys flesus) · gl solla (Platichthys flesus) · sh iverak (Platichthys flesus) · de Flunder (Platichthys flesus)

wikipedia: flounder

flounder en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈflaʊ̯ndɚ/ (Canadian, General-American, Standard)
• (US) audio
• /ˈflæʊ̯ndɚ/ Southern US, Midland US, Mid-Atlantic US, New York City, /aʊ̯/-fronting
• /ˈflaʊ̯ndəː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈflæʊ̯ndəː/ Australia, New Zealand, /aʊ̯/-fronting
• /ˈflaːndəː/ General South African, /aʊ̯/-monophthongization
• /ˈflaːndɚ/ Pittsburgh, /aʊ̯/-monophthongization

Etymology

Possibly from the noun. Probably a blend of flounce + founder or a blend of founder + blunder or from Dutch flodderen (“wade”). See other terms beginning with fl, such as flutter, flitter, float, flap, flub, flip.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To act clumsily or confused; to struggle or be flustered.
   • These epics nearly always had runaway trains, nincompoops floundering with the controls and a collapsed bridge just ahead! 1958 February 14, David Gunston, “Railways on the Screen”, in Railway Magazine, page 88:
   • […] I'm floundering at sloppy deliberation in the choice of every new word, and thus damned up in my soul is left to rot. The limit of my foremind to tap and drain onto paper any flow from my residue of self-saturated thoughts is usually half a page at any one sitting. 2007, Neal Cassady, “Letter to Allen Ginsberg, May 15, 1951”, in Anne Waldman, editor, The Beat Book: Writings from the Beat Generation:
   • They have floundered on from blunder to blunder. a. 1857, William Hamilton, edited by H[enry] L[ongueville] Mansel and John Veitch, Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, published 1859–1860, →OCLC:
   • He gave a good speech, but floundered when audience members asked questions he could not answer well.
   • an assassin who misses his aim and flounders into penitence much as that discomfortable drama misses its point and stumbles into vacuity 1886, Algernon Charles Swinburne, The Age of Shakespeare, John Webster:
   • He is assessing directions, but he is not lost, not floundering. 1996, Janette Turner Hospital, Oyster, paperback edition, Virago Press, page 136:
2. (intransitive) To flop around as a fish out of water.
3. (intransitive) To make clumsy attempts to move or regain one's balance.
   • Robert yanked Connie's leg vigorously, causing her to flounder and eventually fall.
4. To be in serious difficulty.
   • Meanwhile bus and tram competition was causing the Central London Railway to flounder after its early success, and as for the City & South London ... that had always floundered. 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 159:

Forms

Deriveds

flounderish · flounderer · flounderingly

Relateds

flail

Synonyms

faulter

Translations (62)

eo barakti (to flop around) · pl brnąć (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · cs nevědět jak dál (to act clumsily or confused) · ru бара́хтаться (to flop around) · hu vergődik (to flop around) · hu botladozik (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · es tartalearse (to act clumsily or confused) · cs tápat (to act clumsily or confused) · mi tangaru (to flop around) · bg обърквам се (to act clumsily or confused) · de Schwierigkeiten haben (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · ru сбива́ться (to act clumsily or confused) · cs plácat se (to flop around) · pt debater-se (to flop around) · hu belezavarodik (to act clumsily or confused) · bg пля́скам (to flop around) · hu fickándozik (to flop around) · de hüpfen (to flop around) · de herumholpern (to act clumsily or confused) · es titubear (to act clumsily or confused) · cs házet sebou (to flop around) · sv sprattla (to flop around) · hu belegabalyodik (to act clumsily or confused) · fi kompuroida (to act clumsily or confused) · de herumzappeln (to flop around) · da sprælle (to flop around) · pl rzucać się (to flop around) · nl spartelen (to flop around) · el σπαρταρώ (to flop around) · uk бо́рсатися (to flop around) · cs zmítat se (to flop around) · fi pyörähtää (to flop around) · fi kompuroida (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · pl plątać się (to act clumsily or confused) · hu ficánkol (to flop around) · es trastabillar (to act clumsily or confused) · mi tākaru (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · hu botorkál (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · uk побо́рсатися (to flop around) · hu fetreng (to flop around) · es trastabillar (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · sv sprattla (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · es tambalearse (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · hu bukdácsol (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · el παραδέρνω (to act clumsily or confused) · fi horjua (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · mi tākaru (to flop around) · de sich fangen wollen (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · fr tituber (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · ru сби́ться (to act clumsily or confused) · cs váhat (to act clumsily or confused) · es trastrabillar (to act clumsily or confused) · de straucheln (to act clumsily or confused) · es tartalear (to act clumsily or confused) · hu hentereg (to flop around) · ja まごつく (to act clumsily or confused) · hu evickél (to flop around) · mi tangaru (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · hu hempereg (to flop around) · de taumeln (to flop around) · el παραπαίω (to attempt to move or regain one's balance) · az tutulmaq (to act clumsily or confused)