mutter

See also: Mutter, mütter, and Mütter

English

WOTD – 11 March 2007

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmʌtə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmʌtɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌtə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: mut‧ter

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)

1. 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)

Verb

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.

   • 1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe: A Tragedy. […], London: […] T[homas] N[ewcomb] for Henry Herringman, […], published 1676, →OCLC, (please specify the page number):

     Meantime your filthy foreigner will stare, / And mutter to himself.

3. To make a sound with a low, rumbling noise.

   April could hear the delivery van's engine muttering in the driveway.

   • 1715–1720, Homer, translated by Alexander Pope, “Book VIII”, in The Iliad of Homer, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC:

     Thick lightnings flash, the muttering thunder rolls.

Synonyms

• (speak under one's breath): growl, grumble, mumble
• (speak incoherently): babble, mumble, murmur, ramble, stutter
• (make a low sound): growl, putter, rumble
• See also Thesaurus:mutter

Derived terms

• mutterance
• mutterer

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

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

make a low sound

• Czech: mručet (cs) impf
• Esperanto: murmuri
• Finnish: mutista (fi), mumista (fi)
• French: grogner (fr), feuler (fr), râler (fr)
• Icelandic: muldra (is)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: birde-bird kirin (ku)

• Maori: komeme, pātīhau
• Romanian: mormăi (ro), mârâi (ro)

Etymology 2

From Hindi मटर (maṭar).

Alternative forms

• matar

Noun

mutter

1. (Indian cuisine) Peas.

Derived terms

• mutter paneer

Danish

Etymology

From German Mutter (“mother”).

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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

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

References

• “mutter” in Den Danske Ordbog

Estonian

Etymology

From a Germanic language, compare Finnish mutteri.

Noun

mutter (genitive mutri, partitive mutrit)

1. 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)

1. a nut (for bolts)

   skrue og mutter - nut and bolt

References

• “mutter” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From German Mutter.

Noun

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

1. (hardware) a nut (for bolts)

References

• “mutter” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Etymology

From or at least cognate to German Mutter.

Noun

mutter c

1. a nut (for bolts)

Declension

Declension of mutter

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

Noun

mutter n (uncountable)

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

Declension

Declension of mutter

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	mutter	mutters
	definite	muttret	muttrets
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

Related terms

• muttra (“to mutter”)

References

• mutter in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• mutter in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• mutter in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)