different between waver vs stammer

English

Etymology

From Middle English waveren, from Old Norse vafra (“to flicker”), akin to Old English w?fre (“restless, wavering”). Related to wave.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?we?.v?(?)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?we?.v?/
• Rhymes: -e?v?(?)
• Homophone: waiver

Verb

waver (third-person singular simple present wavers, present participle wavering, simple past and past participle wavered)

1. (intransitive) To sway back and forth; to totter or reel.

   Flowers wavered in the breeze.

   • 1523–1525, Jean Froissart, John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners (translator), Froissart's Chronicles

     With banners and pennons wavering with the wind.
2. (intransitive) To flicker, glimmer, quiver, as a weak light.
3. (intransitive) To fluctuate or vary, as commodity prices or a poorly sustained musical pitch.
4. (intransitive) To shake or tremble, as the hands or voice.

   His voice wavered when the reporter brought up the controversial topic.

5. (intransitive) To falter; become unsteady; begin to fail or give way.
   • 2014, Jacob Steinberg, "Wigan shock Manchester City in FA Cup again to reach semi-finals", The Guardian, 9 March 2014:

     Although they believe they can overhaul their 2-0 deficit, they cannot afford to be as lethargic as this at Camp Nou, and the time is surely approaching when Manuel Pellegrini's faith in Martín Demichelis wavers.

6. (intransitive) To be indecisive between choices; to feel or show doubt or indecision; to vacillate.

   Despite all the terrible things that happened to her, she never wavered from her beliefs.

Translations

Noun

waver (plural wavers)

1. An act of wavering, vacillating, etc.
2. Someone who waves, enjoys waving, etc.

   I felt encouraged by all the enthusiastic wavers in the crowd.

   The Fourth of July brings out all the flag wavers.

   Johnny is such a little waver; everyone who passes by receives his preferred greeting.

3. Someone who specializes in waving (hair treatment).
4. A tool that accomplishes hair waving.
5. (Britain, dialect, dated) A sapling left standing in a fallen wood.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)

Translations

See also

• waiver

References

• waver at OneLook Dictionary Search
• waver in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

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