mutter

See also Mutter, and Mütter

English

WOTD – 11 March 2007    

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈmʌtə/
• (US) IPA: /ˈmʌtɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌtə(r)

Noun

mutter (plural mutters)

1. A repressed or obscure utterance; an instance of muttering.

   The prisoners were docile, and accepted their lot with barely a mutter.

2. (in Indian restaurants) peas

Translations

instance of muttering

• Dutch: gemompel (nl), geroezemoes (nl)
• Finnish: mutina (fi), mumina (fi)
• French: marmonnement (fr) m, marmottement (fr) m
• German: Brummen (de) n, Murmeln (de) n, Murren (de) n, Nuscheln (de) n
• Icelandic: muldur (is) n, taut (is) n

• Kurdish:

  Sorani: ورته‌ (ku) (wirte)

• Polish: mamrotać (pl), mruczeć (pl)
• Turkish: homurdanma (tr), homurtu (tr), mırıldanma (tr), mırıltı (tr)

Derived terms

• mutter paneer

Verb

mutter (third-person singular simple present mutters, present participle muttering, simple past and past participle muttered)

1. To utter words, especially complaints or angry expressions, indistinctly or with a low voice and lips partly closed; to say under one's breath.

   You could hear the students mutter as they were served sodden spaghetti, yet again, in the cafeteria.

   The beggar muttered words of thanks, as passersby dropped coins in his cup.

   • 2012 June 28, Jamie Jackson, “Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal”, the Guardian:

     This set – the set of Rosol's life – was studded with aces and menacing ground-strokes that left Nadal an impotent spectator often muttering to himself and at the umpire regarding a perceived misdemeanour by his opponent.

2. To speak softly and incoherently, or with imperfect articulations.

   The asylum inmate muttered some doggerel about chains and pains to himself, over and over.

3. To make a sound with a low, rumbling noise.

   April could hear the delivery van's engine muttering in the driveway near the kitchens.

Synonyms

• (speak under one's breath): growl, grumble, mumble
• (speak incoherently): babble, mumble, murmur, ramble, stutter
• (make a low sound): growl, putter, rumble
• See also Wikisaurus:mutter

Translations

speak under one's breath

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 咕噥 (cmn), 咕哝 (cmn) (gūnong)

• Dutch: mompelen (nl)
• Finnish: mutista (fi), mumista (fi)
• French: grommeler (fr)
• German: murmeln (de)

• Hebrew: מלמל (he) (milmél)
• Icelandic: muldra, tauta, hvísla
• Japanese: 呟く (ja) (つぶやく, tsubuyaku), 囁く (ja) (ささやく, sasayaku)
• Portuguese: resmungar (pt)
• Russian: бормотать (ru) (bormotátʹ) 

speak incoherently

• Finnish: mutista (fi), mumista (fi)
• French: marmonner (fr), marmotter (fr)
• Hebrew: מלמל (he) (milmél)

• Icelandic: tuða, tauta
• Portuguese: murmurar (pt)
• Russian: бормотать (ru) (bormotátʹ) 

make a low sound

• Finnish: mutista (fi), mumista (fi)
• French: grogner (fr), feuler (fr), râler (fr)

• Icelandic: muldra

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Danish

Etymology

From German Mutter (“mother”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mɔtər/, [ˈmɔd̥ɐ] or IPA: /mutər/, [ˈmud̥ɐ]

Noun

mutter c (singular definite mutteren, not used in plural form)

1. mommy, mummy, ma
2. old woman
3. missus

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Norwegian

Noun

mutter m

1. nut (for bolts)

Inflection

    Inflection of mutter

	indefinite singular	definite singular	indefinite plural	definite plural
Bokmål m	mutter	mutteren	muttere/mutre/mutrer	mutterne/mutrene
Nynorsk m	mutter	mutteren	mutterar	mutterane
Nynorsk m	mutter	mutteren	mutrar	mutrane

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Swedish

Noun

mutter c

1. a nut (for bolts)

Declension

Declension of mutter

	singular		plural
Common	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mutter	muttern	muttrar	muttrarna
genitive	mutters	mutterns	muttrars	muttrarnas

Noun

mutter n (uncountable)

1. mutter; obscure utterance

Declension

Declension of mutter

	uncountable		uncountable
Neuter	indefinite	definite
nominative	mutter	muttret
genitive	mutters	muttrets