Wiktionary

mutter

See also: Mutter, mütter, and Mütter

English

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WOTD – 11 March 2007

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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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

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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
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Verb

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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
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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From Hindi मटर (maṭar).

Alternative forms

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Noun

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mutter

  1. (Indian cuisine) Peas.
Derived terms
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Danish

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Etymology

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From German Mutter (“mother”).

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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

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

References

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Estonian

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Etymology

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From a Germanic language, compare Finnish mutteri.

Noun

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mutter (genitive mutri, partitive mutrit)

  1. nut (that screws onto a bolt)

Norwegian Bokmål

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Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology

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From German Mutter.

Noun

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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

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Etymology

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From German Mutter.

Noun

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

  1. (hardware) a nut (for bolts)

References

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Swedish

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Etymology

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From or at least cognate to German Mutter.

Noun

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mutter c

  1. a nut (for bolts)

Declension

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Declension of mutter
nominative genitive
singular indefinite mutter mutters
definite muttern mutterns
plural indefinite muttrar muttrars
definite muttrarna muttrarnas

Noun

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mutter n (uncountable)

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

Declension

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Declension of mutter
nominative genitive
singular indefinite mutter mutters
definite muttret muttrets
plural indefinite — —
definite — —
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References

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