patter

See also: Pätter

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpætə/
• Rhymes: -ætə(r)

Etymology 1

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

Noun

patter (plural patters)

1. A soft repeated sound, as of rain falling, or feet walking on a hard surface.

   I could hear the patter of mice running about in the dark.

   • 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 7, in 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

soft repeated sound

• Dutch: getrippel (nl)
• Finnish: tepsutus (fi)
• German: Trippeln n
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: picchiettio
• Russian: то́пот (ru) m (tópot), топота́ние (ru) n (topotánije)
• Spanish: pisada (es) f

Derived terms

• pattersome
• 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 into the log-cabin walls.

   • Thomson

     The stealing shower is scarce to patter heard.

2. To spatter; to sprinkle.
   • J. R. Drake

     Patter the water about the boat.

Translations

to make irregularly repeated sounds

• Finnish: rapsahdella (fi)
• Russian: бараба́нить (ru) impf (barabánitʹ)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: golpetear (es)

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 (countable and uncountable, plural patters)

1. Glib and rapid speech, such as from an auctioneer or a sports commentator.
   • 1887, Gilbert and Sullivan, "My Eyes Are Fully Open", Ruddigore

     This particularly rapid, unintelligible patter isn't generally heard, and if it is it doesn't matter.

Translations

glib and rapid speech

• Finnish: paukutus (fi)
• German: Geplapper (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: скорогово́рка (ru) f (skorogovórka), говоро́к (ru) m (govorók)
• Spanish: rollo (es) m, parloteo (es) m

Derived terms

• Glasgow patter

Verb

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

1. To speak glibly and rapidly, as does an auctioneer or a sports commentator.
   • Mayhew

     I've gone out and pattered to get money.

2. (intransitive, obsolete) To repeat the Lord's Prayer.
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To pray.
4. (transitive, obsolete) To repeat hurriedly; to mutter.

Translations

to speak glibly and rapidly

• Finnish: paukuttaa (fi)
• German: plappern (de)
• Hungarian: pörög a nyelve
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: тарато́рить (ru) impf (taratóritʹ), говори́ть скорогово́ркой impf (govorítʹ skorogovórkoj), треща́ть (ru) impf (treščátʹ) (colloquial)
• Spanish: parlotear (es)

Etymology 3

pat +‎ -er (“agent”)

Noun

patter (plural patters)

1. One who pats.
   • 1981, Jackie Cooper, ‎Richard Kleiner, Please Shoot Dog (page 50)

     I used to hate head patters, and I have realized that all children dislike being patted on the head.

Anagrams

• Pratte, p'tater

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Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

patter m

1. indefinite plural of patte

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• pattar

Noun

patter

1. indefinite feminine plural of patte