Forms: α. 1 stamerian, stomrian, 2 stamerie, 4–5 stamere, 5 stammery, Sc. stemer, stummer, 4–7 stamer, 5– stammer. β. 6 stamb(b)re, stambur, 6–7 stamber. [OE. stamerian, stǫmrian = WFris. stammerje, NFris. stamere, (M)LG., (M)Du. stameren:—WGer. *stamrōjan, f. *stamro- (OE. stamor adj., NFris. stamer stammering) f. *stam- (see STAM a.). A parallel formation with suffix l instead of r is found in (M)LG., (M)Du. stamelen, OHG. stamalôn (mod.G. stammeln) to stammer, f. WGer. *stamlo- adj. (OHG. stamal), stammering. Other synonymous verbs from the same root are OHG. stam(m)ên, ON. stama, OE. stǫmmettan.]
1. intr. To falter or stumble in one’s speech; esp. to make one or more involuntary repetitions of a consonant or vowel before being able to pass from it to the following sound. Cf. STUTTER v.
Stammering may be the result of indecision, or of sudden emotion (as fear, anger, delight or grief), or may proceed from pathological conditions of the organs of speech or of the nervous system.
α. c. 1000. Prudentius Glosses, in Germania, N. S. XI. 392/2. Balbutit, stamaraþ.
a. 1200. Sidonius Glosses, in Anecd. Oxon., I. v. 43/15. Balbutire .i. stamerie.
c. 1330. Arth. & Merl., 2854. Ac he stamered a litel wiȝt.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., V. xxi. (1495), 128. Dronken men stamere whan they ben tomoche in moysture in the brayne.
1412–20. Lydg., Chron. Troy, II. 4648. Neptolonius … in speche stamered whan he spak.
14[?]. Lat.-Eng. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 567/19. Balbutio, to stamery.
1522. World & Child, 231. I shall myghtly make hym to stamer and stowpe.
c. 1529. Skelton, E. Rummyng, 339. Her felow did stammer and stut.
1530. Palsgr., 732/1. It is a worlde to here hym stammer whan he is angryd.
1574. A. L., Calvin’s 4 Serm., ii. D iiij. When he stammereth so in himself that he cannot draw foorth one only woord.
1638. Junius, Paint. Ancients, 315. They … going about to tell a tale doe nothing but stutte and stammer.
1654. H. L’Estrange, Chas. I., 1. His vocall impediment … was … to wise men an index of his wisdome:… since there was never, or very rarely, known a fool that stammered.
1710. Steele, Tatler, No. 244, ¶ 2. A Man that stammers, if he has Understanding, is to be attended with Patience.
1818. Byron, Juan, I. clxiii. He stood in act to speak, or rather stammer.
1834. Macaulay, Ess., Pitt (1897), 311. He stammered, stopped, and sat down.
1848. Dickens, Dombey, xli. Stammering and blushing, Mr. Toots affects amazement.
1879. Froude, Cæsar, xviii. 305. The eloquent tongue forgot its office. Cicero stammered, blundered, and sat down.
β. c. 1500. Col. Blowbol’s Test., 332, in Hazl. E.E.P., I. 106. Beer … Whiche makyth oft tymes men to stambur.
1526. Tindale, Mark vii. 32. They brought into him won that was deffe, and stambred [1557, Geneva, stambbred] in hys speche.
1570. Levins, Manip., 79/6. To stamber, titubare.
b. fig. Also † to stammer it out.
1616. R. Johnson, Kingd. & Commw., 61. Neither doth he [sc. the Grand Seignor] stammer in his comparison of twenty Bashawes within his conquests [i.e., does not hesitate to assert each of them to be greater than our king].
1653. Ld. Vaux, trans. Godeau’s St. Paul, 351. Although in his rapture he had seen the most profound mysteries of God, yet he accommodated himself to the weakness of his disciples, and stammered it out with them.
1818. Keats, Endym., I. 134. That I may dare, in wayfaring, To stammer where old Chaucer used to sing.
1822. Byron, Vis. Judgm., lvii. The grammar Of the last phrase, which makes the stanza stammer.
1837. Emerson, Address Amer. Schol., Wks. (Bohn), II. 183. Long he must stammer in his speech; often forego the living for the dead.
c. said of the tongue.
a. 1050. Malchus, in Assmann, Ags. Hom., xviii. 380. Me þinceð, þæt me sio tunge stomriʓe.
14[?]. Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1903), 253. & his Tonge shal stameren oþer famelen.
1628. Wither, Brit. Rememb., viii. 2545. The tongue, that stammers now, shall then speak plain.
1855. Tennyson, Maud, I. VI. ix. The new strong wine of love, That made my tongue so stammer and trip.
d. Path. (See STAMMERING vbl. sb. 2.)
2. trans. To utter or say with a stammer.
α. 1810. Scott, Lady of L., III. x. Childhood’s babbling trill Of curses stammer’d slow.
1825. T. Hook, Sayings, Ser. II. Passion & Princ., vii. III. 83. He stammered a few words which were as unintelligible as unmeaning, and resumed his chair.
1897. Max Pemberton, Queen of Jesters, iii. 118. The bailiff stammered an answer.
β. 1608. Armin, Nest Ninn. (1880), 52. Playes on thoughts as girls with beads, When their masse they stamber.
b. with quoted words or clause as object.
1847. Tennyson, Princess, iii. 190. I stammer’d that I knew him. Ibid. (1859), Elaine, 419. [It] Abash’d Lavaine … But left him leave to stammer, ‘is it indeed?’
1897. ‘O. Rhoscomyl,’ White Rose Arno, 12. ‘Why—no,’ stammered the young man. ‘I—that is, sir——’
c. with forth, out. Also fig.
1587. Higgins, Mirr. Mag., Pinnar, Lenuoye ii. If hee vnstatelike stammer out the same, With staylesse staggering footed verse, by ame.
1782. Miss Burney, Cecilia, VIII. i. Cecilia … stammered out, ‘No, no——.’
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xvii. IV. 17. The judges … had roared down the arguments feebly stammered forth by the prisoners.
1874. Burnand, My Time, viii. 68. I was about to stammer out an excuse.
1902. Violet Jacob, Sheep-Stealers, x. ‘I was—I mean—I have been trying to get introduced to you for ever so long,’ he stammered out at last.
transf. 1825. Lamb, Elia, Ser. II. Superannuated Man. I stammered out a bow, and … went home.
3. intr. To stagger in walking; said especially of horses. Now dial.
c. 1400. Anturs Arth., 109. Hit stemered, hit stonayde, hit stode as a stone.
c. 1440. [implied in STAMMERING vbl. sb. 1].
c. 1470. Golagros & Gaw., 624. Thair stedis stakkerit in the stour, and stude stummerand.
1607. Markham, Caval., IV. (1617), 27. Giue him a good chocke in the mouth, that you may make him stammer and shuffle his legs confusedly together.
1707. J. Stevens, trans. Quevedo’s Com. Wks. (1709), 380. My Legs naturally stammer.
a. 1774. R. Fergusson, Hallowfair, Poems (1845), 16. But if a birkie’s oure weel sair’d [i.e., served (with drink)] It gars him often stammer To ploys that bring to the Guard And eke the Council Chammer.
1825. Brockett, N. C. Gloss., Stammer, to stagger.
1831. Blakey, Free-will, 62. The shot plied like hailstones round the old veteran…. But he had the good fortune to escape unhurt, and when he was stammering back the Russians gave him three cheers.
† 4. trans. To nonplus; = STAGGER v. 7. Obs.
1640. Sanderson, Serm. Ad Aulam, xii. (1660), 232. If they should take away his life, that were indeed a sure course; but Nicodemus had stammered them all … when he told them that they could not do it by law.
Hence Stammered ppl. a.
a. 1858. Bryant, Burial of Love, vi. We shall … miss … The patter of his little feet, Sweet frowns and stammer’d phrases.
1903. ‘Q’ (Quiller-Couch), Hetty Wesley, III. iii. 245. He would rise from the table on some stammered excuse.
