Noun

(wikipedia sputtering) (en noun)

A noise that sputters.

* {{quote-news, year=2009, date=April 11, author=Anthony Tommasini, title=Moving on, a Music Director Leaves an Imprint, and a New Hall, work=New York Times citation

, passage=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. }}

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.