Making explosive spitting sounds, or speaking in a quick, confused way with pauses and repetitions.
From the verb 'splutter,' which is an imitation of the sound itself, likely influenced by 'sputter' (to speak hastily) and Dutch 'sputteren.' The -ing form turns it into either a present participle verb or an adjective describing the sound or manner.
Your car's engine might splutter when it's about to run out of gas because the fuel delivery becomes inconsistent—the engine literally can't maintain smooth combustion, which is why it makes those jerky stuttering noises instead of purring smoothly.
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