flounder
pronunciation
How to pronounce flounder in British English:
UK [ˈflaʊndə(r)]
How to pronounce flounder in American English:
US [ˈflaʊndər]
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- Noun:
- flesh of any of various American and European flatfish
- any of various European and non-European marine flatfish
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- Verb:
- walk with great difficulty
- behave awkwardly; have difficulties
Word Origin
- flounder (v.)
- "struggle awkwardly and impotently," especially when hampered somehow, 1590s, of uncertain origin, perhaps an alteration of founder (q.v.), influenced by Dutch flodderen "to flop about," or native verbs in fl- expressing clumsy motion. Figurative use is from 1680s. Related: Floundered; floundering. As a noun, "act of struggling," by 1867.
- flounder (n.)
- "flatfish," c. 1300, from Anglo-French floundre, Old North French flondre, from Old Norse flydhra, from Proto-Germanic *flunthrjo (cognates: Middle Low German vlundere, Danish flynder, Old Swedish flundra "flatfish"), suffixed and nasalized form of PIE *plat- "to spread" (cognate: Greek platys "flat, wide, broad;" see plaice (n.)).
Example
- 1. Terry was hoping to catch a flounder .
- 2. Yet despite that fillip , the weak economies may continue to flounder .
- 3. A serious problem on flounder farms
- 4. Mr zuckerberg will flounder , however , when he ventures into china in 2012 .
- 5. My flounder sashimi , fresh , though unequivocally dead , was perfection .