English
sputter
Sputter may come from Middle English *sputren.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*sputrenuncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1692sputter
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*sputrenuncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1692sputter
Earliest quotation: 1692, John Dryden, Cleomenes: “Like the green wood [...] sputtering in the flame.”
Every English word from Middle English *sputren
Today it means
noun Moist matter thrown out in small detached particles.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English *sputren / sputter