Describes something that is barely continuing, often with a sense of being about to stop or fade away. Commonly used for breath, voice, life, or other continuous phenomena.
His voice was faint and barely audible.
With faltering breath, he called for help.
gasping; out of breath; panting
Standard kanji spelling.
Kana spelling is common when the kanji is not needed.
Reduplication of the verb stem 絶え (from 絶える, 'to cease, to die out'), emphasizing a state of barely continuing.