'unpredictably-halting' originates from the combination of 'unpredictable' and 'halting', where 'unpredictable' means 'not able to be predicted' and 'halting' means 'stopping and starting irregularly'.

The term 'unpredictably-halting' evolved from the need to describe actions or processes that do not follow a regular pattern and are difficult to anticipate.

Initially, it meant 'irregular in movement or progress', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.