Where does “stutter” come from?

Stutter comes from Middle English stutten, from Old English stuttan, from Proto-Germanic stutjaną, of unknown ultimate origin.

stutter (English): To speak with a spasmodic repetition of vocal...

Definitions

  1. To speak with a spasmodic repetition of vocal...

Ancestry of “stutter”, step by step

stutter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English stutten

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishstuttenstutter; to stammer, stop short
2Old Englishstuttanto stop short, stutter
3Proto-Germanicstutjanąto stammer, stop short

via Middle English stoten

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishstotento stumble; stutter

Words derived from “stutter”

Every word from Proto-Germanic stutjaną →Every word from Old English stuttan →Every word from Middle English stutten →