Stutters

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To speak by repeating sounds, syllables, or words involuntarily or with hesitation
2. The act of having difficulty speaking smoothly due to involuntary sound or syllable repetition
3. Producing speech with involuntary pauses or repetitions causing broken or halting communication

Etymology: "Stutters" is the third-person singular form of the verb "stutter," so it simply describes someone who repeats sounds haltingly. The verb itself came into English in Middle English, where it appeared as "stutten" or "stoten," and it has a close relative in Dutch, "stotteren," which carries the same sense of stammering. Behind the Middle English forms lies a family of Germanic words that suggested bumping or pushing, and the stammering sense seems to grow out of that image of speech catching and jolting forward. The ultimate Germanic source is commonly traced to a Proto-Germanic form, though the exact path of the sense shift is not fully settled.

Synonyms: stammers, hesitates, falters

Antonyms: fluency, smoothness, clarity