The quality or state of being halting; hesitance, lameness, or broken rhythm.
From halting (adjective) with the noun-forming suffix -ness (from Old English 'næss' meaning state or condition), following standard patterns for creating abstract nouns.
The -ness suffix is where English stores abstract qualities—beauty, truth, goodness, haltingness. It's essentially a tool for converting concrete adjectives into invisible nouns.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.