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English
Pronunciation
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 muttīre, mutīre.
Noun
mutter (plural mutters)
- A repressed or obscure utterance; an instance of muttering.
- The prisoners were docile, and accepted their lot with barely a mutter.
Translations
instance of muttering
- Arabic: غَمْغَمَة f (ḡamḡama)
- Bulgarian: мърморене (bg) n (mǎrmorene), мънкане n (mǎnkane)
- Czech: zabručení n, bručení n, mručení n, zamručení n, mumlání n, zamumlání n
- Dutch: gemompel (nl), geroezemoes (nl)
- Finnish: mutina (fi), mumina (fi)
- French: marmonnement (fr) m, marmottement (fr) m
- German: Brummen (de) n, Murmeln (de) n, Murren n, Nuscheln n
- Icelandic: muldur (is) n, taut n
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: ورتە (wirte)
- Northern Kurdish: birde-bird (ku) f, birdebird (ku) f
- Macedonian: мрмо́рење n (mrmórenje)
- Maori: meme
- Polish: mamrotanie (pl) n
- Portuguese: murmúrio (pt) m
- Russian: бормота́ние (ru) n (bormotánije)
- Swedish: mutter (sv) n
- Turkish: homurdanma, homurtu (tr), mırıldanma (tr), mırıltı (tr)
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Verb
mutter (third-person singular simple present mutters, present participle muttering, simple past and past participle muttered)
- 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: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.
- To speak softly and incoherently, or with imperfect articulations.
- The asylum inmate muttered some doggerel about chains and pains to himself, over and over.
- To make a sound with a low, rumbling noise.
- April could hear the delivery van's engine muttering in the driveway.
1715–1720, Homer, [Alexander] Pope, transl., “Book VIII”, in The Iliad of Homer, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: W Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott , →OCLC:Thick lightnings flash, the muttering thunder rolls.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
speak under one's breath
- Arabic: تَمْتَمَ (tamtama), هَمْهَمَ (hamhama)
- Azerbaijani: deyinmək
- Belarusian: мармыта́ць impf (marmytácʹ)
- Bulgarian: мърмо́ря (bg) impf (mǎrmórja)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 咕噥/咕哝 (zh) (gūnong)
- Czech: mumlat impf, bručet (cs) impf (pod vousy)
- Dutch: mompelen (nl)
- Esperanto: grumbli (eo)
- Finnish: mutista (fi), mumista (fi)
- French: grommeler (fr), marmonner (fr), marmotter (fr)
- Galician: roñar (gl), rosmar (gl), renegar
- German: murmeln (de)
- Greek: μουρμουρίζω (el) (mourmourízo)
- Ancient: γογγύζω (gongúzō)
- Hebrew: מִלְמֵל (he) (milmél)
- Hindi: बुदबुदाना (budbudānā), बड़बड़ाना (hi) (baṛabṛānā)
- Icelandic: muldra (is), tauta, hvísla (is)
- Ingrian: popottaa
- Japanese: 呟く (ja) (つぶやく, tsubuyaku), 囁く (ja) (ささやく, sasayaku)
- Korean: 중얼거리다 (ko) (jung'eolgeorida)
- Kurdish:
- Northern Kurdish: birde-bird kirin (ku)
- Latin: muttiō, mussō
- Macedonian: мр́мори impf (mŕmori)
- Maori: kūmeme, hāmeme, kōmemememe (for an extended period), hāwata, whakakōingoingo, pātīhau, pararāwaha, mū
- Persian: زمزمه کردن (zemzeme kardan)
- Polish: bąkać impf, bąknąć pf, mamrotać (pl) impf, mruczeć (pl) impf
- Portuguese: resmungar (pt)
- Romanian: bombăni (ro), mormăi (ro)
- Russian: бормота́ть (ru) impf (bormotátʹ), пробормота́ть (ru) pf (probormotátʹ)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: мр̀мљати impf
- Roman: mr̀mljati (sh) impf
- Slovak: mrmlať impf
- Slovene: mrmrati (sl) impf
- Spanish: murmurar (es)
- Swedish: muttra (sv)
- Thai: งึมงำ (th) (ngʉm-ngam), บ่น (th) (bòn), พึมพำ (th) (pʉm-pam)
- Ukrainian: бурмоті́ти (uk) impf (burmotíty), бубоні́ти (uk) impf (buboníty), мимрити impf (mymryty), мурмоті́ти impf (murmotíty)
- Vietnamese: lẩm bẩm (vi)
- Welsh: mwmian (cy), myngial, grymial
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speak incoherently
- Arabic: تَمْتَمَ (tamtama), هَمْهَمَ (hamhama)
- Azerbaijani: deyinmək
- Belarusian: мармыта́ць impf (marmytácʹ), бурча́ць impf (burčácʹ), бубні́ць impf (bubnícʹ)
- Bulgarian: мъ́нкам (bg) impf (mǎ́nkam)
- Czech: mumlat impf
- Finnish: mutista (fi), mumista (fi)
- French: marmonner (fr), marmotter (fr)
- German: murmeln (de)
- Hebrew: מִלְמֵל (he) (milmél)
- Icelandic: tuða, tauta
- Japanese: 呟く (ja) (つぶやく, tsubuyaku), 囁く (ja) (ささやく, sasayaku)
- Korean: 중얼거리다 (ko) (jung'eolgeorida)
- Kurdish:
- Northern Kurdish: birde-bird kirin (ku)
- Macedonian: мр́мори impf (mŕmori), му́мла impf (múmla)
- Maori: pātihau, whakameme, hāwata
- Portuguese: murmurar (pt)
- Romanian: boscorodi (ro)
- Russian: бормота́ть (ru) impf (bormotátʹ), пробормота́ть (ru) pf (probormotátʹ), бурча́ть (ru) impf (burčátʹ), бубни́ть (ru) impf (bubnítʹ)
- Slovak: mrmlať impf
- Spanish: balbucear (es)
- Ukrainian: бурмоті́ти (uk) impf (burmotíty), бубоні́ти (uk) impf (buboníty), мимрити impf (mymryty), мурмоті́ти impf (murmotíty), муркоті́ти impf (murkotíty), бурча́ти (uk) impf (burčáty)
- Welsh: mwmian (cy), myngial, grymial
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Etymology 2
From Hindi मटर (maṭar).
Alternative forms
Noun
mutter
- (Indian cuisine) Peas.
Derived terms
Danish
Etymology
From German Mutter (“mother”).
Pronunciation
Noun
mutter c (singular definite mutteren, not used in plural form)
- mommy, mummy, ma
- old woman
- missus
References
Estonian
Etymology
From a Germanic language, compare Finnish mutteri.
Noun
mutter (genitive mutri, partitive mutrit)
- 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)
- a nut (for bolts)
- skrue og mutter - nut and bolt
References
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From German Mutter.
Noun
mutter m (definite singular mutteren, indefinite plural mutterar or mutrar, definite plural mutterane or mutrane)
- (hardware) a nut (for bolts)
References
Swedish
Etymology
From or at least cognate to German Mutter.
Noun
mutter c
- a nut (for bolts)
Declension
Noun
mutter n (uncountable)
- mutter (muttering, utterances under one's breath, often angry)
Declension
Declension of mutter
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Uncountable
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Indefinite
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Definite
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Nominative
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mutter
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muttret
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Genitive
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mutters
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muttrets
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Related terms
References