different between nervously vs fumble

English

Etymology

nervous +? -ly

Adverb

nervously (comparative more nervously, superlative most nervously)

1. In a nervous manner; feeling or displaying nervousness.

   He paced nervously as he waited for the important phone call.

Translations

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?f?mb?l/

• Rhymes: -?mb?l

Etymology 1

Late Middle English, from Low German fommeln or Dutch fommelen.

Or, perhaps from a Scandinavian/North Germanic source; compare Old Norse fálma, Swedish fumla, Danish fumle, German fummeln.

The ultimate origin for either could perhaps be imitative of fumbling. Or, from Proto-Indo-European *pal- (“to shake, swing”), see also Latin palpo (“I pat, touch softly”), and possibly Proto-West Germanic *f?lijan (“to feel”).

Verb

fumble (third-person singular simple present fumbles, present participle fumbling, simple past and past participle fumbled)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To handle nervously or awkwardly.

2. (transitive, intransitive) To grope awkwardly in trying to find something
   • 1742, Henry Fielding, Joseph Andrews

     Adams now began to fumble in his pockets.}}

3. (intransitive) To blunder uncertainly.

4. To grope about in perplexity; to seek awkwardly.
5. (transitive, intransitive, sports) To drop a ball or a baton etc. by accident.
6. To handle much; to play childishly; to turn over and over.

Synonyms

• (grope awkwardly): grubble, poke; see also Thesaurus:feel around

Translations

Noun

fumble (plural fumbles)

1. (sports, American football, Canadian football) A ball etc. that has been dropped by accident.

Translations

Etymology 2

Blend of fool +? crumble.

Noun

fumble (plural fumbles)

1. (Britain) A dessert similar to a cross between a fool and a crumble.

Further reading

• fumble on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References