Wiktionary

mutter

See also: Mutter, mütter, and Mütter

English edit

WOTD – 11 March 2007

Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

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 muttīre, mutīre.

Noun edit

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 edit

Verb edit

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.
    • 2012 June 28, Jamie Jackson, “Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal”, in the Guardian‎[1]:
      This set – the set of Rosol's life – was studded with aces and menacing ground-strokes that left Nadal an impotent spectator often muttering to himself and at the umpire regarding a perceived misdemeanour by his opponent.
  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 edit
Derived terms edit
Translations edit

Etymology 2 edit

From Hindi मटर (maṭar).

Alternative forms edit

Noun edit

mutter

  1. (Indian cuisine) Peas.
Derived terms edit

Danish edit

Etymology edit

From German Mutter (“mother”).

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /mɔtər/, [ˈmɔd̥ɐ], /mutər/, [ˈmud̥ɐ]

Noun edit

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

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

References edit

Estonian edit

Etymology edit

From a Germanic language, compare Finnish mutteri.

Noun edit

mutter (genitive mutri, partitive mutrit)

  1. nut (that screws onto a bolt)

Norwegian Bokmål edit

 
Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology edit

From German Mutter.

Noun edit

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 edit

Norwegian Nynorsk edit

 
Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Etymology edit

From German Mutter.

Noun edit

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

  1. (hardware) a nut (for bolts)

References edit

Swedish edit

Etymology edit

From or at least cognate to German Mutter.

Noun edit

mutter c

  1. a nut (for bolts)

Declension edit

Declension of mutter 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative mutter muttern muttrar muttrarna
Genitive mutters mutterns muttrars muttrarnas

Noun edit

mutter n (uncountable)

  1. mutter (muttering, utterances under one's breath, often angry)

Declension edit

Declension of mutter 
Uncountable
Indefinite Definite
Nominative mutter muttret — —
Genitive mutters muttrets — —

Related terms edit

References edit

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