Link Centre Dictionary

sputter

sput·ter

US/ˈspʌtɚ/ uncommon
verb (5) noun (2)

verb

1.

make an explosive sound

  • “sputtering engines”
2.

cause to undergo a process in which atoms are removed

  • “The solar wind protons must sputter away the surface atoms of the dust”
3.
4.

utter with a spitting sound, as if in a rage

Synonyms
5.

noun

1.
2.

an utterance (of words) with spitting sounds (as in rage)

Synonyms

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • spit nails
  • sputter coating all parts of speech
  • sputter out all parts of speech

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.