▪ I. ˈsputtering, vbl. n.
[f. as prec.]
1. a. The action of the verb in various senses; an instance of this.
| 1719 Boyer Dict. Royal i, Crachotement,..Sputtering, Spitting often. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. ii. iii. iv, A continual crackling and sputtering of riots from the whole face of France. 1844 Dickens Mart. Chuz. iii, Such a smoking and sputtering of wood newly lighted in a damp chimney. 1884 Fortn. Rev. Mar. 326 Feeble little sputterings of mutual admiration or inane twaddle. |
b. pl. Small particles sputtered out or emitted with some force and noise.
| 1894 Hall Caine Manxman iv. xiv, Then Nancy began to fly about the kitchen like sputterings out of the frying-pan. |
2. The removal of atoms from a substance subject to bombardment, esp. from a metallic cathode bombarded by positive ions, and usu. with subsequent deposition on an adjacent surface.
| 1902 Phil. Mag. IV. 653 The metallic films..were obtained by sputtering from a cathode in vacuo on glass strips. 1930 Rev. Mod. Physics II. 186 ‘Sputtering’, or disintegration of an electrode subjected to positive ion bombardment is a well known and often troublesome phenomenon. 1948 L. D. Smullin in Smullin & Montgomery Microwave Duplexers v. 210 Sputtering is a process in which the cathode is heated by positive-ion bombardment to the point where particles are boiled out of the cathode and finally condense on the anode or on the tube walls. 1952 [see ion bombardment s.v. ion 2]. 1976 Sci. Amer. May 115/3 By the process known as sputtering, the impact of electrons and protons on the surface could chip away atoms and release them into the atmosphere, from which they would quickly escape. |
▪ II. ˈsputtering, ppl. a.
[f. as prec.]
1. Emitting or ejecting saliva or spittle. Also in comb. venom-sputtering.
| 1598 Marston Sco. Villanie iii. xi. 229 Avaunt lewd curre, presume not speake Or with thy venome-sputtering chaps to barke Gainst well-pend poems. 1602 Dekker Satiro-m. Wks. 1873 I. 244 Thy sputtering chappes yelpe, that Arrogance, and Impudence,..are the essentiall parts of a Courtier. |
2. Characterized by, burning with, making or giving out, a succession of explosive sounds accompanied by the emission of small particles, sparks, or bursts of flame.
| 1649 G. Daniel Trinarch., Hen. V, cxx, The Despaireing flame Resigns its Sputtering light, ere the Time came. 1697 Dryden æneid xii. 762 The laurels crackle in the sputt'ring fire. 1743 Davidson æneid viii. 251 Others dip the sputtering Metals in the Trough. 1794 Schmeisser Syst. Min. I. 219 The so called sprudel stone or sputtering stone, from Carlsbad. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. iii. v. vi, The wheels of Langres scream, amid their sputtering fire-halo. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair lxi, A sputtering tallow candle. 1880 Grant Hist. India vi. 33/2 A sputtering fire of musketry was kept up for two hours. |
b. Of sound, etc.
| 1825 Jamieson Suppl., Sotter,..the bubbling, crackling, or sputtering noise made by any thing in boiling or cooking. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. xxv. 189 My lamp..carried on a sputtering combustion. 1874 L. Stephen Hours Libr. (1892) I. iii. 94 His writings resemble those fireworks which..suddenly break out again into sputtering explosions. |
3. Of speech, etc., or of persons with reference to this: (see sputter v. 4).
| 1691 New Disc. Old Intreague xxxiii. 33 Sir W―m W―ms first the Cause espous'd, And all his sputtering Eloquence he rous'd. 1756 Mrs. Delany Life & Corr. (1861) III. 411 To make out sputtering Hampden's observation. 1812 Combe Tour Picturesque xxiii, Then..his shrill and sputt'ring speeches. c 1825 Ld. Cockburn Mem. iii. (1874) 135 His voice..got sputtering and screechy when he became excited. 1835 T. Mitchell Aristoph. Acharn. 1041 note, It would have afforded the angry chorus a very appropriate quotation against their parsimonious and sputtering provider. |
Hence ˈsputteringly adv., in a sputtering manner; with a sputter or sputters.
| 1833 Lamb Elia ii. Barbara S―, When she crammed a portion of it into her mouth, she was obliged sputteringly to reject it. 1861 Temple Bar III. 359 ‘But—but’—I exclaimed sputteringly. |