v. & n.
v. 1 intr. speak (habitually, or on occasion from embarrassment etc.) with halting articulation, esp. with pauses or rapid repetitions of the same syllable. 2 tr. (often foll. by out) utter (words) in this way (stammered out an excuse).
n. 1 a tendency to stammer. 2 an instance of stammering. stammerer n. stammeringly adv.
[ OE stamerian f. WG ]