different between mutter vs stammer

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?m?t?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?m?t?/
• Rhymes: -?t?(?)
• Hyphenation: mut?ter

Etymology 1

From Middle English muteren, moteren, of imitative origin. Compare Low German mustern, musseln (“to whisper”), German muttern (“to mutter; whisper”), Old Norse muðla (“to murmur”). Compare also Latin mutt?re, mut?re.

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.

Translations

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.
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.

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 Thesaurus:mutter

Derived terms

• mutterer

Translations

Etymology 2

From Hindi ??? (ma?ar)

Alternative forms

• matar

Noun

mutter

1. (Indian cuisine) Peas.

Derived terms

• mutter paneer

Danish

Etymology

From German Mutter (“mother”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m?t?r/, [?m?d??], /mut?r/, [?mud??]

Noun

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

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

References

• “mutter” in Den Danske Ordbog

Estonian

Etymology

From a Germanic language, compare Finnish mutteri.

Noun

mutter (genitive mutri, partitive mutrit)

1. nut (that screws onto a bolt)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From German Mutter

Noun

mutter m (definite singular mutteren, indefinite plural muttere or mutre or mutrer, definite plural mutterne or mutrene)

1. a nut (for bolts)

   skrue og mutter - nut and bolt

References

• “mutter” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From German Mutter

Noun

mutter m (definite singular mutteren, indefinite plural mutterar or mutrar, definite plural mutterane or mutrane)

1. a nut (for bolts)

References

• “mutter” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Etymology

From or at least cognate to German Mutter.

Noun

mutter c

1. a nut (for bolts)

Declension

Noun

mutter n (uncountable)

1. mutter; obscure utterance

Declension

English

Etymology

From Middle English stameren, from Old English stamerian, from Proto-West Germanic *stamr?n, from Proto-Germanic *stamr?n? (“to stammer”). Compare German stammeln, Dutch stameren, Old Norse stammr. Doublet of stumble.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?stæm?/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?stæm?/
• Rhymes: -æm?(?)

Verb

stammer (third-person singular simple present stammers, present participle stammering, simple past and past participle stammered)

1. (intransitive) To keep repeating a particular sound involuntarily during speech.
2. (transitive) To utter with a stammer, or with timid hesitancy.

   He blushed, and stammered a few words of apology.

   • 1927-29, M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, translated 1940 by Mahadev Desai, Part I, Chapter xi:

     The high school had a send-off in my honour. It was an uncommon thing for a young man of Rajkot to go to England. I had written out a few words of thanks. But I could scarcely stammer them out. I remember how my head reeled and how my whole frame shook as I stood up to read them.

Synonyms

• stutter

Translations

Noun

stammer (plural stammers)

1. The involuntary repetition of a sound in speech.

Translations

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “stammer”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Anagrams

• stremma

Danish

Noun

stammer c

1. indefinite plural of stamme

Verb

stammer

1. present of stamme

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

stammer m

1. indefinite plural of stamme

Verb

stammer

1. present tense of stamme

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• stammar

Noun

stammer m or f

1. indefinite feminine plural of stamme