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putter

 [puht-er]   Origin

put·ter

1   [puht-er]
verb (used without object)
1.
to busy or occupy oneself in a leisurely, casual, or ineffective manner: to putter in the garden.
2.
to move or go in a specified manner with ineffective action or little energy or purpose: to putter about the house on a rainy day.
3.
to move or go slowly or aimlessly; loiter.
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noun
4.
puttering or ineffective action; dawdling.

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Putter is one of our favorite verbs.
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to run away hurriedly; flee.
to bark; yelp.
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Verb phrase
5.
putter away, to spend or fill in a random, inconsequential, or unproductive way; fritter away; waste: We puttered the morning away.
Also, especially British, potter.

Origin:
1875–80; variant of potter2

Related forms
put·ter·er, noun
put·ter·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged

putt·er

2   [puht-er]
noun Golf.
1.
a person who putts.
2.
a club with a relatively short, stiff shaft and a wooden or iron head, used in putting.
Origin:
1735–45; putt + -er1

put·ter

3   [poot-er]
noun
1.
a person or thing that puts.
2.
Track. a shot-putter.
Origin:
1810–20; put + -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To putter
Collins
World English Dictionary
potter or putter2 (ˈpɒtə)
 
—vb (usually foll by away)
1.  (intr; often foll by about or around) to busy oneself in a desultory though agreeable manner
2.  (intr; often foll by along or about) to move with little energy or direction: to potter about town
3.  to waste (time): to potter the day away
 
—n
4.  the act of pottering
 
[C16 (in the sense: to poke repeatedly): from Old English potian to thrust; see put]
 
putter or putter2
 
—vb
 
—n
 
[C16 (in the sense: to poke repeatedly): from Old English potian to thrust; see put]
 
'potterer or putter2
 
—n
 
'putterer or putter2
 
—n

putter1 (ˈpʌtə)
 
—n
1.  a club for putting, usually having a solid metal head
2.  a golfer who putts

putter2 (ˈpʌtə)
 
—vb (usually foll by away)
1.  (intr;often foll by about or around) to busy oneself in a desultory though agreeable manner
2.  (intr;often foll by along or about) to move with little energy or direction: to putter about town
3.  to waste (time)
 
—n
4.  the act of puttering
 
[C16 (in the sense: to poke repeatedly): from Old English potian to thrust; see put]

putter3 (ˈpʊtə)
 
—n
1.  a person who puts: the putter of a question
2.  a person who puts the shot

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

putter
"keep busy in a rather useless way," 1877 alteration of potter (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
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