To struggle or stumble helplessly, especially when trying to move or make progress. As a noun, it refers to a type of flatfish that lives on the ocean bottom.
The verb comes from a blend of 'founder' (to sink) and possibly 'blunder', first recorded in the 16th century. The fish name comes from Old French 'flondre', ultimately from a Germanic root. These are actually separate etymologies that converged on the same spelling in English.
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