sputtering

verb

1. (form-of, gerund, participle, present)present participle and gerund of sputter

noun

1. A noise that sputters.

   “The women of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, seated in the rows where the first violins are typically located, contributed an array of haunting vocal sounds: hushed hums, sustained high tones, sputterings and more.”

2. The ejection of atoms from the surface of a solid or liquid following bombardment with ions, atoms or molecules; used to prepare a thin layer of material on an object.