putt-putt
UK[ˈpʌt ˌpʌt]US[ˈpʌt ˌpʌt]
n
a game of miniature golf
n
a repeated, rhythmic, chugging sound, such as that made by a small gasoline engine
Etymology
The word 'putt-putt' is a classic example of English onomatopoeia, formed by the reduplication of the sound 'putt' to mimic the rhythmic, chugging noise of an early internal combustion engine. This imitative term first emerged in the early 20th century to describe the sound itself. Its application to miniature golf is a proprietary extension from the mid-20th century, where the name of a specific chain of courses, Putt-Putt Golf Courses, became generalized through popular usage. The semantic logic connects the light, repetitive action of putting a golf ball to the familiar, gentle putt-putt sound of a small motor, evoking a sense of leisure and modest scale.
Analysis
This is a reduplicative compound, an onomatopoeic formation imitating a sound. It is not productively built from distinct, separable morphemes with independent meanings.
Examples
The children spent the afternoon playing a round of putt-putt at the family fun center.
We could hear the putt-putt of a distant lawnmower on the quiet summer morning.
The old motorboat made a steady putt-putt sound as it chugged across the lake.