patter

See also Pätter

English

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈpætə/
• Rhymes: -ætə(r)

Etymology 1

1610s, pat +‎ -er (“frequentative (indicating repeated action)”), of (onomatopoeia) origin.

Noun

patter (plural patters)

1. The soft sound of feet walking on a hard surface.

   I could hear the patter of the burglar, so I hid in the linen closet.

   • 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 7, The Dust of Conflict^[1]:

     The patter of feet, and clatter of strap and swivel, seemed to swell into a bewildering din, but they were almost upon the fielato offices, where the carretera entered the town, before a rifle flashed.

Translations

Translations

• Dutch: getrippel (nl)

Derived terms

• pitter-patter

Verb

patter (third-person singular simple present patters, present participle pattering, simple past and past participle pattered)

1. To make irregularly repeated sounds of low-to-moderate magnitude and lower-than-average pitch.

   The bullets pattered in the log-cabin walls.

Etymology 2

Circa 1400, from paternoster (“the Lord's prayer”), possibly influenced by imitative sense (above), Latin pater (“father”), from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr.

Noun attested 1758, originally referring to the cant of thieves and beggers.

Noun

patter (plural patters)

1. Glib and rapid speech, such as from an auctioneer, or banter during a sports event.

Verb

patter (third-person singular simple present patters, present participle pattering, simple past and past participle pattered)

1. To speak in such a way – glibly and rapidly, such as from an auctioneer, or when bantering during a sports event.

Etymology 3

pat +‎ -er (“agent”)

Noun

patter (plural patters)

1. One who pats.