sputter

English

Etymology

Probably representing Middle English *sputren, *sputrien, a frequentative form of sputen (“to spout, vomit”), equivalent to spout +‎ -er. Cognate with Saterland Frisian spüttern (“to inject, spray, splash”), West Frisian sputterje (“to sputter”), Dutch sputteren (“to sputter”), Low German sputtern, spruttern (“to sprinkle”), German sprudeln (“to spout, squirt”). Compare splutter.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ʌtə(r)

Noun

sputter (uncountable)

1. Moist matter thrown out in small detached particles; also, confused and hasty speech.

Verb

sputter (third-person singular simple present sputters, present participle sputtering, simple past and past participle sputtered)

1. To spit, or to emit saliva from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking.
2. To utter words hastily and indistinctly; to speak so rapidly as to emit saliva.
   • Congreve

     They could neither of them speak their rage, and so fell a sputtering at one another, like two roasting apples.

   • Jonathan Swift

     To sputter out the basest accusations.

3. To throw out anything, as little jets of steam, with a noise like that made by one sputtering.
   • Dryden

     Like the green wood […] sputtering in the flame.

4. (transitive) To spit out hastily by quick, successive efforts, with a spluttering sound; to utter hastily and confusedly, without control over the organs of speech.

   In the midst of caresses, and without the last pretend incitement, to sputter out the basest accusations. -Swift.

5. (physics, intransitive) To cause surface atoms or electrons of a solid to be ejected by bombarding it with heavy atoms or ions
6. (physics, transitive) To coat the surface of an object by sputtering

Translations

To spit, or to emit saliva from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking

• French: postillonner (fr)
• Maori: ānu

• Russian: бры́згать (ru) (brýzgatʹ) слюной

To utter words hastily and indistinctly; to speak so rapidly as to emit saliva

• Russian: бессвязно (ru) (bessvjazno) говори́ть (ru) (govorítʹ)

To coat the surface of an object by sputtering

• French: métalliser (fr)

• Russian: напылять (ru) (napyljatʹ)

See also

• spit nails

References

• sputter in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• putters