To repeat sounds or syllables involuntarily when speaking.
From Middle Dutch 'stoteren,' which originally described the irregular, jerky movement of a cart with a broken wheel bumping over cobblestones. Dutch speakers noticed that halting, repetitive speech sounded exactly like a damaged cart struggling over rough roads. The word moved from describing faulty transportation to describing speech patterns.
The word 'stutter' comes from the sound of broken cart wheels hitting cobblestones in medieval Dutch cities. It's a perfect example of how people create language by comparing new experiences to familiar sounds - in this case, linking speech difficulties to the everyday annoyance of bumpy cart rides.
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