demur vs falter

demur

verb
  • To delay; to pause; to suspend proceedings or judgment in view of a doubt or difficulty; to hesitate; to put off the determination or conclusion of an affair. 

  • To interpose a demurrer. 

  • To scruple or object; to take exception; to oppose; to balk 

noun
  • An act of hesitation as to proceeding; a scruple; also, a suspension of action or decision; a pause, a stop. 

falter

verb
  • To hesitate in purpose or action. 

  • To fail in distinctness or regularity of exercise; said of the mind or of thought. 

  • To cleanse or sift, as barley. 

  • To waver or be unsteady; to weaken or trail off. 

  • To stammer; to utter with hesitation, or in a weak and trembling manner. 

  • To stumble. 

  • To lose faith or vigor; to doubt or abandon (a cause). 

noun
  • An unsteadiness. 

How often have the words demur and falter occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )