Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • With stammering; with stops or hesitation in speaking.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb In a stammering manner, done with a stammer or stutter.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

stammering +‎ -ly

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Examples

  • _Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma_, the Chinese stammeringly say, and if the pitch and tone of each _ma_ are right, the meaning of the apparent repetition is, "Does Mother scold the horses, or will the horses scold Mother?"

    Beard

  • He stammeringly comments that "war is unforeseeable" when asked about the situation in an anonymous middle-eastern country about which he has no expertise.

    Michael Rugnetta: Staying In the Loop

  • Camilla, who at the beginning of this speech felt the highest glee, sunk involuntarily at its conclusion, and turning with a blank countenance to Mrs. Arlbery, stammeringly said: 'Can you, will you – be so very good, as not to take it ill if I don't go with you?'

    Camilla

  • Now she spoke hastily, stammeringly, in the tongue of the Norse, as if she had not so spoken in years.

    People of the Dark

  • The waiter, when this irony grew clearer, stammeringly assured him that the establishment had certainly no such intention; it must be a most curious mistake.

    The Father Brown Omnibus

  • He again checked himself, and Rhoda, much surprised, and even shocked, said, stammeringly — “I am sure, sir, that dear Charles would not intentionally say or do anything that could offend you.”

    The Evil Guest

  • The waiter, when this irony grew clearer, stammeringly assured him that the establishment had certainly no such intention; it must be a most curious mistake.

    The Complete Father Brown

  • The waiter, when this irony grew clearer, stammeringly assured him that the establishment had certainly no such intention; it must be a most curious mistake.

    The Complete Father Brown

  • I suggested (stammeringly) that he and the elders might like to come round and pray like it describes in James.

    sheepdip Diary Entry

  • 'I-er-I heard a noise,' said Alma, stammeringly for she was afraid of the Head.

    Fifth Formers at St. Clare's

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