Definitions
a sudden involuntary movement
Word origin
From Middle English startlen, stertlen, stertyllen (“to rush, stumble along”), from Old English steartlian (“to kick with the foot, struggle, stumble”), equivalent to start + -le. Cognate with Old Norse stirtla (“to hobble, stagger”), Icelandic stirtla (“to straighten up, erect”). Compare also Middle English stertil (“hasty”). More at start.
Used in a sentence
“a horse that startles easily”
“Why shrinks the soul / Back on herself, and startles at destruction?”
“He felt, too, that he was acting unjustly by Ethel: he had allowed a fortnight to elapse—he startled when he numbered up the days; it is strange how we allow them to glide imperceptibly away.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Make jump”7 letters
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