— stammerer , n. — stammeringly , adv.
/stam"euhr/ , v.i.
1. to speak with involuntary breaks and pauses, or with spasmodic repetitions of syllables or sounds.
v.t.
2. to say with a stammer (often fol. by out ).
n.
3. a stammering mode of utterance.
4. a stammered utterance.
[ bef. 1000; ME stammeren (v.), OE stamerian (c. G stammern ), equiv. to stam stammering + -erian -ER 6 ; akin to ON stamma to stammer, Goth stams stammering ]
Syn. 1. pause, hesitate, falter. STAMMER, STUTTER mean to speak with some form of difficulty. STAMMER, the general term, suggests a speech difficulty that results in broken or inarticulate sounds and sometimes in complete stoppage of speech; it may be temporary, caused by sudden excitement, confusion, embarrassment, or other emotion, or it may be so deep-seated as to require special treatment for its correction. STUTTER, the parallel term preferred in technical usage, designates a broad range of defects that produce spasmodic interruptions of the speech rhythm, repetitions, or prolongations of sounds or syllables: The child's stutter was no mere stammer of embarrassment.