utter

Utter, complete, is the old comparative of out; utter, to speak, is a verb formed partly from the same root in Dutch or Low German.^[1][2]

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈʌtə/ (UK); /ˈʌtəɹ/ (US)^[3]

utter¹ complete

Etymology

Utter, complete, is inherited from Middle English uttre, inherited from Old English ūtera (“outer, exterior”) (also ūttra),^[2][4][5][1] the comparative of ūt (“out”) (see out),^[2][4][6] from Proto-Germanic *ūtizô,^[2][4] corresponding to Old Frisian ūtera, Middle Dutch utere and Old High German ūzaro (modern äußer (“outer”)).^[2][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Outer, farther out: before 901 in Barnhart and the OED.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

The sense outer was very common from about 1400 to 1620, as in Milton's the utter Deep.^[1] Going to the utmost point, extreme, total, is from the 15th century (about 1430),^[7][5][4] and became very common from about 1515, as in Shakespeare's the utter loss of all the realm.^[1][2] Its use as a mere intensifier is attested by 1898.^[4] Utterly is from the 13th century and uttermost probably from before 1382.^[5][2]

Timeline

• before 901 – ūtera, outer.^[2][7]
• c. 1430 – extreme, complete.^[7]
• c. 1515 – common in this sense.^[1]
• 1898 – a mere intensifier.^[4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Complete; absolute: utter nonsense.

Word family

• utterly
• uttermost

utter² speak

Etymology

The verb is inherited from Middle English utteren, partly borrowed from Middle Low German ūteren (“to turn out, show, speak”) (also ūteren),^[2][4][5][6] from ūter (“outer”), and partly an alteration under the influence of utter, outer, of Middle English outen (“to disclose”), from Old English ūtian (“to put out”).^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

To speak or say: probably before 1400, in the Morte Arthure, in Barnhart, about 1400 in Etymonline.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The basic notion is to put forth.^[4][1] From the early 15th century it was also a commercial verb, to put goods on the market or money into circulation,^[4][1][5] the source of the legal sense, to pass counterfeit money.^[8][9] To publish a book or statement is a related sense.^[9][8] Utterance is from the 15th century.^[2]

Timeline

• probably before 1400 – to utter, speak.^[2]
• early 15th century – to put on the market.^[4]
• c. 1412 – to utter words.^[2]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To make a sound with the voice, or to say something: utter a growl.
2. (law) To put counterfeit money into circulation.
3. To make known; to publish.

Word family

• utterance
• unutterable

Related words

• out
• outer
• utmost

Usage notes

In Lincolnshire dialect to utter meant to discharge, as of a spout or drain.^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
9. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
10. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)