Limping or moving with difficulty; characterized by pauses or hesitation.
From halt (verb, meaning to limp or stop) with the present participle/adjective suffix -ing. The sense of hesitant speech came from comparing speaking to halting movement.
A 'halting' voice sounds like someone physically stumbling through words—English beautifully uses physical metaphors for mental/emotional states. We 'stumble' over ideas, 'grasp' concepts, and 'see' the point.
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