stutter

Etymology

From Middle English stutten, stoten (“stutter”); cognate with Dutch stotteren (“stutter”).

verb

1. (transitive, intransitive) To speak with a spasmodic repetition of vocal sounds.
   He stuttered a few words of thanks.
2. (intransitive) To exhaust a gas with difficulty
   The engine of the old car stuttered going up the slope. I was stuttering after the marathon.

noun

1. A speech disorder characterised by stuttering.
2. (obsolete) One who stutters.
   1626, Francis Bacon, Sylva Sylvarum, London: William Lee, IV. Century, p. 103, And many Stutters (we finde) are very Cholericke Men; Choler Enducing a Drinesse in the Tongue.