different between splatter vs sputter

English

Etymology

Uncertain. Probably a blend of splash +? spatter.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?splæt?/
• Rhymes: -æt?(r)

Noun

splatter (countable and uncountable, plural splatters)

1. An uneven shape or mess created by something dispersing on impact.

2. (uncountable, attributive) A genre of gory horror.

Translations

Verb

splatter (third-person singular simple present splatters, present participle splattering, simple past and past participle splattered)

1. (intransitive) To splash; to scatter; to land or strike in an uneven, distributed mess.

2. (transitive) To cause (something) to splatter.

3. (transitive) To spatter (something or somebody).
   • 2012, Kimberly J. Heide, Doors of Promise (page 100)

     Her wet hands […] splattered him with suds.

Translations

Anagrams

• Platters, partlets, platters, prattles, sprattle

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?sp?t?/
• Rhymes: -?t?(r)

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.

Noun

sputter (countable and uncountable, plural sputters)

1. Moist matter thrown out in small detached particles.
2. Confused and hasty speech.

Verb

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

1. (intransitive) To emit saliva or spit from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking.
2. (transitive, intransitive) To speak so rapidly as to emit saliva; to utter words hastily and indistinctly, with a spluttering sound, as in rage.
   • 1700, William Congreve, s:The Way of the World

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

   • 1730, Jonathan Swift, A Vindication of Lord Carteret

     In the midst of caresses, and without the least pretended incitement, to sputter out the basest and falsest accusations.

3. (transitive, intransitive) To throw out anything, as little jets of steam, with a noise like that made by one sputtering.
   • 1692, John Dryden, Cleomenes, the Spartan Hero, a Tragedy

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

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

Translations

See also

• spit nails

References

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

Anagrams

• putters