Dictionary

sputter en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈspʌtɚ/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Probably representing Middle English *sputren, *sputrien, a frequentative form of Middle English 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.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Moist matter thrown out in small detached particles.
2. (countable, uncountable) Confused and hasty speech.

Forms

sputter en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈspʌtɚ/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Probably representing Middle English *sputren, *sputrien, a frequentative form of Middle English 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.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To emit saliva or spit from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking.
   • The child [...] kicked, and crowed, and sputtered, when his mother took him, and put up his little fingers to clutch her hair, and was to her as a young god upon the earth. Nothing in the world had ever been created so beautiful, so joyous, so satisfactory, so divine! 1869 May, Anthony Trollope, “Lady Milborough as Ambassador”, in He Knew He Was Right, volume I, London: Strahan and Company, […], →OCLC, page 87:
2. (ambitransitive) To speak so rapidly as to emit saliva; to utter words hastily and indistinctly, with a spluttering sound, as in rage.
   • They could neither of them speak their rage, and so fell a sputtering at one another, like two roasting apples. 1700, William Congreve, The Way of the World:
   • In the midst of caresses, and without the least pretended incitement, to sputter out the basest and falsest accusations. 1730, Jonathan Swift, A Vindication of Lord Carteret:
3. (ambitransitive) To throw out anything, as little jets of steam, with a noise like that made by one sputtering.
   • Like the green wood [...] sputtering in the flame. 1692, John Dryden, Cleomenes, the Spartan Hero, a Tragedy:
4. (intransitive) To cause surface atoms or electrons of a solid to be ejected by bombarding it with heavy atoms or ions.
5. (transitive) To coat the surface of an object by sputtering.

Forms

Deriveds

unsputtered (all parts of speech) · sputteringly (all parts of speech) · sputtery (all parts of speech) · sputterable (all parts of speech) · sputterer (all parts of speech) · sputter coating (all parts of speech) · sputter out (all parts of speech)

Relateds

spit nails

Synonyms

stutter

Translations (25)

fi sputteroida (to cause surface atoms or electrons of a solid to be ejected by bombarding it with heavy atoms or ions) · ru напылять (to coat the surface of an object by sputtering) · mi ānu (to emit saliva or spit from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking) · fi sputteroida (to coat the surface of an object by sputtering) · fi sopertaa (to speak so rapidly as to emit saliva; to utter words hastily and indistinctly) · fi sössöttää (to speak so rapidly as to emit saliva; to utter words hastily and indistinctly) · fr postillonner (to emit saliva or spit from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking) · it sputacchiare (to emit saliva or spit from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking) · cs odprašovat (to cause surface atoms or electrons of a solid to be ejected by bombarding it with heavy atoms or ions) · cs rozprašovat (to cause surface atoms or electrons of a solid to be ejected by bombarding it with heavy atoms or ions) · bg разпрашвам (to cause surface atoms or electrons of a solid to be ejected by bombarding it with heavy atoms or ions) · de spucken (to emit saliva or spit from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking) · fi pölyttää (to coat the surface of an object by sputtering) · cs naprášit (to coat the surface of an object by sputtering) · fi pärskytellä (to emit saliva or spit from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking) · fr revêtir, métalliser (to coat the surface of an object by sputtering) · bg пръскам слюнки (to emit saliva or spit from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking) · de mit feuchter Aussprache sprechen (to speak so rapidly as to emit saliva; to utter words hastily and indistinctly) · fr pulvériser (to cause surface atoms or electrons of a solid to be ejected by bombarding it with heavy atoms or ions) · es farfullar (to emit saliva or spit from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking) · cs naprašovat (to coat the surface of an object by sputtering) · tyz bắc bử (to speak so rapidly as to emit saliva; to utter words hastily and indistinctly) · tr püskürmek (to emit saliva or spit from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking) · ru бры́згать слюной (to emit saliva or spit from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking) · ru бессвязно говори́ть (to speak so rapidly as to emit saliva; to utter words hastily and indistinctly)