chat

See also: CHAT, Chat, chất, chắt, chặt, and chật

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʃæt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æt

Etymology 1

Abbreviation of chatter. The bird sense refers to the sound of its call.

Verb

Two people chatting. (1) (2)

1. To be engaged in informal conversation.

   She chatted with her friend in the cafe.

   I like to chat over a coffee with a friend.

2. To talk more than a few words.

   I met my old friend in the street, so we chatted for a while.

3. (transitive) To talk of; to discuss.

   They chatted politics for a while.

   • 2014, Lenny Smith, Choices, page 43:

     We would get totally stoned and usually drunk too and chat a load of nonsense into the small hours.

4. To exchange text or voice messages in real time through a computer network, as if having a face-to-face conversation.

   Do you want to chat online later?

Translations

be engaged in informal conversation

• Arabic: ثَرْثَرَ (ṯarṯara)

  Egyptian Arabic: دردش (dardiš)

• Belarusian: гута́рыць impf (hutárycʹ)
• Bulgarian: бъбря (bg) impf (bǎbrja)
• Catalan: xerrar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 聊天 (zh) (liáotiān), 攀談／攀谈 (zh) (pāntán), 攀谈 (zh) (pāntán), 談天／谈天 (zh) (tántiān), 谈天 (zh) (tántiān), 閑談／闲谈 (zh) (xiántán), 闲谈 (zh) (xiántán), 閑聊／闲聊 (zh) (xiánliáo), 闲聊 (zh) (xiánliáo)

• Czech: povídat (cs) impf
• Danish: snakke, sludre
• Dutch: kletsen (nl), babbelen (nl)
• Esperanto: babili (eo)
• Finnish: jutella (fi), rupatella, turista (fi), horista (fi), lörpötellä (fi)
• French: jaser (fr), placoter (fr), bavarder (fr), papoter (fr)
• Galician: laretar (gl), parolar (gl), charlar (gl)
• German: (formal) sich unterhalten (de), (informal) plaudern (de), (dialectal) schwatzen (de), klönen (de)
• Greek: ψιλοκουβεντιάζω (el) (psilokouventiázo), συνομιλώ (el) (synomiló)
• Hungarian: beszélget (hu), cseveg (hu), diskurál (hu)
• Icelandic: spjalla (is)
• Indonesian: mengobrol (id), kongko (id), obrol (id)
• Italian: chiacchierare (it)
• Japanese: 喋る (ja) (しゃべる, shaberu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: 잡담하다 (ko) (japdamhada), 한담하다 (handamhada), 지껄이다 (ko) (jikkeorida), 재잘거리다 (ko) (jaejalgeorida), 수다떨다 (sudatteolda)
• Ladino: echar lashon
• Lao: ຄຸຍ (lo) (khuy)
• Latin: fabulor
• Malay: bersembang, berbual
• Maltese: tpaċpiċ
• Meänkieli: praatata
• Persian: گپیدن (gapidan), گپ زدن (fa) (gap zadan)
• Polish: gawędzić (pl) impf, gadać (pl) impf
• Portuguese: papear, bater papo (pt), conversar (pt)
• Russian: разгова́ривать (ru) impf (razgovárivatʹ), болта́ть (ru) impf (boltátʹ)
• Sichuan Yi: ꌧꈿ (syp mgep)
• Spanish: charlar (es), platicar (es), yuyear, chamuyar (es)
• Swedish: småprata (sv), konversera (sv), tjatta (sv), snacka (sv)
• Tagalog: makipagchat, makipag-usap
• Thai: คุย (th) (kui)
• Turkish: sohbet (tr), kasavan (tr)
• Ukrainian: бала́кати (uk) impf (balákaty)
• Vietnamese: tán gẫu (vi), tám (vi), nói chuyện phiếm
• Walloon: berdeler (wa), tchafter (wa)
• Wolof: waxtaan (wo)

talk more than a few words

• Bulgarian: разговарям (bg) (razgovarjam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 聊天 (zh) (liáotiān)

• Danish: snakke
• Dutch: kletsen (nl), babbelen (nl)
• Finnish: puhella (fi)
• German: sich unterhalten (de), plaudern (de), schwatzen (de), klönen (de)
• Greek: ψιλοκουβεντιάζω (el) (psilokouventiázo), συνομιλώ (el) (synomiló)
• Hungarian: elbeszélget (hu), eldiskurál
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: parlare (it), conversare (it)
• Latin: fabulor
• Malay: bersembang, berbual
• Persian: گپیدن (gapidan)
• Portuguese: conversar (pt)
• Swedish: prata (sv)
• Vietnamese: tán gẫu (vi), tám (vi)
• Walloon: ramter (wa), tchafyî (wa), plaidî (wa)

exchange messages in real time

• Bulgarian: чатя (čatja)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 聊天 (zh) (liáotiān)

• Danish: chatte (da)
• Dutch: chatten (nl)
• Finnish: tsättäillä, chatata
• French: tchatter (fr)
• German: chatten (de)
• Greek: τηλεσυνδιασκέπτομαι (tilesyndiasképtomai)
• Hungarian: cseveg (hu), csetel (hu), chatel
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: fabulor
• Malay: bersembang, berbual
• Norwegian: chatte (no)
• Persian: گپیدن (gapidan)
• Portuguese: bater papo (pt), conversar (pt)
• Russian: ча́титься (ru) impf (čátitʹsja)
• Swedish: chatta (sv), tjatta (sv)
• Tagalog: makipagchat
• Walloon: tchater, berdeler (wa) (with complement "so les fyis")

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} discuter (fr), ^{(please verify)} converser (fr) (1, 3); ^{(please verify)} clavarder (fr), ^{(please verify)} chatter (fr) (4), ^{(please verify)} bavarder (fr)
• Guaraní: ^{(please verify)} mongeta (interlocutor explicit) (1); ^{(please verify)} ñemongeta (interlocutor implicit) (1); ^{(please verify)} ñomongeta (to each other) (1)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} conversar, ^{(please verify)} confabular (1); ^{(please verify)} chattar (4)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} conversa (ro), ^{(please verify)} discuta (ro)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} platicar (es), ^{(please verify)} charlar (es); (Internet) ^{(please verify)} chatear (es)
• Tupinambá: ^{(please verify)} mongetá (interlocutor explicit) (1); ^{(please verify)} nhemongetá (interlocutor implicit) (1); ^{(please verify)} nhomongetá (to each other) (1)

Noun

chat (countable and uncountable, plural chats)

1. (uncountable) Informal conversation.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess‎^[1]:

     Reg liked a chat about old times and we used to go and have a chinwag in the pub.

2. A conversation to stop an argument or settle situations.
3. (totum pro parte, typically with definite article, video games) The entirety of users in a chatroom or a single member thereof.

   The Chat just made a joke about my skills.

4. An exchange of text or voice messages in real time through a computer network, resembling a face-to-face conversation.
5. Any of various small Old World passerine birds in the muscicapid tribe or subfamily that feed on insects.
6. Any of several small Australian honeyeaters in the genus Epthianura.

Derived terms

• backchat
• chatbox
• chatroom
• chatteration
• chatterer
• chatterish
• chattily
• chattiness
• chatty
• chat up
• chitchat
• stonechat
• whinchat

 

Translations

informal conversation

• Arabic: مُحَادَثَّة f (muḥādaṯṯa), ثَرْثَرَة f (ṯarṯara)
• Azerbaijani: söhbət (az)
• Bulgarian: разговор (bg) m (razgovor)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 聊天 (zh) (liáotiān)

• Danish: snak (da) c, snakken
• Dutch: gebabbel (nl) n, geklets (nl) n, kletspraat (nl) m
• Esperanto: babilo, babilado
• Finnish: juttelu (fi), rupattelu (fi)
• German: Schwatz m, Geplauder n
• Greek: κουβεντούλα (el) f (kouventoúla), ψιλοκουβέντα (el) f (psilokouvénta)
• Hungarian: beszélgetés (hu), csevegés (hu), csevej, diskurálás
• Indonesian: obrolan (id)
• Italian: chiacchiera (it) f
• Japanese: おしゃべり (ja) (oshaberi)
• Korean: 잡담 (ko) (japdam), 이야기 (ko) (iyagi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Malay: sembang, bual
• Norwegian: prat (no) m

  Bokmål: samtale (no) m

  Nynorsk: samtale m or f

• Persian: گپ (fa) (gap)
• Polish: pogawędka (pl)
• Portuguese: papo (pt) m, conversa (pt) f
• Russian: болтовня́ (ru) f (boltovnjá), бесе́да (ru) f (beséda), разгово́р (ru) m (razgovór)
• Scottish Gaelic: seanchas m
• Spanish: cháchara (es) f, charla (es) f, chamuyo (es) m, lata (es) f
• Swedish: småprat, konversation (sv), snack (sv) n
• Turkish: konuşma (tr), sohbet (tr)
• Ukrainian: розмо́ва f (rozmóva), бесі́да (uk) f (besída)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

conversation to stop an argument or settle situations

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 談話／谈话 (zh) (tánhuà), 谈话 (zh) (tánhuà)

• Dutch: gesprek (nl) n, babbel (nl) m
• Finnish: keskustelu (fi)
• French: discussion (fr) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Gespräch (de) n
• Norwegian: prat (no) m
• Portuguese: conversa (pt) f
• Russian: разгово́р (ru) m (razgovór), бесе́да (ru) f (beséda)
• Swedish: samtal (sv)

exchange of text or voice messages in real time

• Arabic: دَرْدَشَة f (dardaša)
• Azerbaijani: çat (az)
• Belarusian: чат m (čat)
• Bulgarian: чат (bg) m (čat)
• Catalan: xat (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 聊天 (zh) (liáotiān)

• Czech: chat (cs) m
• Dutch: chat (nl) c
• Finnish: tsätti (fi), chatti (fi)
• French: clavardage (fr) m, chat (fr) m
• Georgian: ჩატი (čaṭi)
• German: Chat (de) m
• Greek: τηλεσυνδιάσκεψη (el) f (tilesyndiáskepsi)
• Hebrew: צ׳אט m (chat)
• Hindi: चैट (caiṭ)
• Hungarian: chat (hu), cset
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: obrolan (id)
• Japanese: チャット (chatto)
• Korean: 채팅 (ko) (chaeting)
• Macedonian: чет m (čet)
• Norwegian: chat (no) m
• Polish: czat (pl) m
• Portuguese: chat (pt) m, bate-papo (pt) m
• Russian: чат (ru) m (čat)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: чат m

  Roman: chat (sh) m, čat (sh) m

• Slovak: chat (sk) m
• Slovene: chat m
• Spanish: chat (es) m
• Swedish: tjatt, chatt (sv) c
• Ukrainian: чат m (čat)

bird in the subfamily Saxicolini

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: tapuit (nl) m
• Finnish: pensastasku (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Schmätzer f
• Greek: ικτερίς f (ikterís)
• Irish: caislín m
• Russian: чека́н (ru) m (čekán)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Guaraní: ^{(please verify)} ñomongeta (1)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} conversation, ^{(please verify)} confabulation (1); chat (2)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} conversație (ro) f, ^{(please verify)} discuție (ro) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} charla (es) f
• Tupinambá: ^{(please verify)} nhomongetá (1)

Etymology 2

Compare chit (“small piece of paper”), and chad.

Noun

chat

1. A small potato, such as is given to swine.

Etymology 3

Origin unknown.

Noun

chat (plural chats)

1. (mining, local use) Mining waste from lead and zinc mines.
   • 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, p. 441:

     Frank had been looking at calcite crystals for a while now [...] among the chats or zinc tailings of the Lake County mines, down here in the silver lodes of the Vita Madre and so forth.

Translations

mining waste

• Finnish: rikastusjäte
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Etymology 4

From thieves' cant.

Alternative forms

• chatt

Noun

chat (plural chats)

1. (British, Australia, New Zealand, World War I military slang) A louse (small, parasitic insect).
   • 1977, Mary Emily Pearce, Apple Tree Lean Down, page 520:

     'Do officers have chats, then, the same as us?'

     'Not the same, no. The chats they got is bigger and better, with pips on their shoulders and Sam Browne belts.'

   • 2007, How Can I Sleep when the Seagull Calls? →ISBN, page 18:

     May a thousand chats from Belgium crawl under their fingers as they write.

   • 2013, Graham Seal, The Soldiers' Press: Trench Journals in the First World War, →ISBN, page 149:

     Trench foot was a nasty and potentially fatal foot disease commonly caused by these conditions, in which chats or body lice were the bane of all.

Etymology 5

Noun

chat (plural chats)

1. Alternative form of chaat

Anagrams

• ACTH, Cath, cath, tach

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Antillean Creole

Etymology

From French chat.

Noun

chat

1. cat

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English chat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʃɛt/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

chat m (plural chats, diminutive chatje n)

1. chat (online conversation)
2. chat (online conversation platform)

Derived terms

• chatten

Verb

chat

1. (deprecated template usage) first-, second- and third-person singular present indicative of chatten
2. (deprecated template usage) imperative of chatten

Anagrams

• acht

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French

Etymology 1

From Middle French chat, from Old French chat, from Late Latin cattus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃa/

• audio:

  (file)

Noun

chat m (plural chats)

1. cat (feline)
   • 1910, Henry-D. Davray & B. Kozakiewicz (tr.), La Guerre dans les airs, translation of The War in the Air by H. G. Wells, page 335:

     Soudain, d’un seul élan, cela se précipita sur lui, avec un miaulement plaintif et la queue droite. C’était un jeune chat, menu et décharné, qui frottait sa tête contre les jambes de Bert, en ronronnant.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (male) cat, tom, tomcat
3. tag, tig (children’s game)

Derived terms

• chat échaudé craint l’eau froide
• chat-huant
• chat-tigre
• chataire
• chatière
• chaton
• chatonner
• chatte
• chattemite
• chatterie
• donner sa langue au chat
• quand le chat n’est pas là, les souris dansent

 

Related terms

• cataire
• chatte

See also

• haret
• matou
• minet
• minou
• mistigri

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English chat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʃat/

Noun

chat m (plural chats)

1. (Internet) chat (online discussion)

Synonyms

• tchat

Derived terms

• chatter
• chater
• chatteur
• chateur

Further reading

• “chat”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Iban

Etymology

From Min Nan 漆 (chhat).

Noun

chat

1. paint (substance)

---

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xat̪ˠ/

Noun

chat m

1. Lenited form of cat.

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Italian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English chat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃat/, [t͡ʃät̪]
• Hyphenation: chàt

Noun

chat f (uncountable)

1. chat (informal conversation via computer)

Derived terms

• chattare

See also

• chiacchierata

Etymology 2

From Somali [Term?].

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kat/

Noun

chat m (uncountable)

1. chat (leaf chewed by people in North Africa and the Middle East)

Synonyms

• khat

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Middle French

Etymology

From Old French chat, from Late Latin cattus.

Noun

chat m (plural chats or chatz, feminine singular chatte, feminine plural chattes)

1. cat (animal)

Descendants

• French: chat

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Old French

Alternative forms

• cat (Picardy, Anglo-Norman)
• kat (Picardy, Anglo-Norman)

Etymology

From Late Latin cattus.

Noun

chat oblique singular, m (oblique plural chaz or chatz, nominative singular chaz or chatz, nominative plural chat)

1. cat (animal)

Related terms

• chate

Descendants

• Middle French: chat
  • French: chat

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Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xat/

Noun

chat f

1. genitive plural of chata

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Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English chat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃat͡ʃ(i)/, /ˈʃɛt͡ʃ(i)/

Noun

chat m (plural s)

1. (Internet) chat (exchange of text or voice messages in real time)

Synonyms

• bate-papo

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Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English chat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃad/ [ˈt͡ʃað̞]

Noun

chat m (plural chats)

1. chat (exchange of text or voice messages in real time through a computer network)

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Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from English chat

Noun

chat

1. chat

Derived terms

• ichat
• kachat
• makipagchat
• pakikipagchat