taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
staggering; reeling; tottering
Literary or classical word describing an unsteady, swaying walk, often used in set phrases like 酔歩蹣跚 (drunken staggering).
See also: 酔歩蹣跚
彼は酔って蹣跚たる足取りで家に帰った。
He went home with a staggering gait, drunk.
老人は蹣跚として道を歩いていた。
The old man was tottering along the road.