smatter

See also: s'matter

English

WOTD – 18 February 2026

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English smateren, smatteren, smater, smatere (“to make dirty, defile; to talk idly, chatter; to speak foolishly”); further etymology uncertain, compare the following:

• Middle English smotten (“to corrupt, debase, defile”) (whence English smot (obsolete)), related to Late Middle High German smotzen, a variant of smutzen (whence modern German schmutzen (“to become dirty or soiled; to make dirty, soil”)), from smuz (“dirt”).
• Danish smadre (“to smash”), German schmettern (“to smash; to resound”) (from Middle High German smetern (“to chatter; to rattle; (dialectal) to make a smacking sound”)); Norwegian Bokmål smadre (“to smash”), Swedish smattra (“to make short, sharp, quickly repeating noises, patter, rattle”), possibly originally onomatopoeic. However, the Oxford English Dictionary says “real connection is very doubtful”.

The noun is derived from the verb.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsmætə/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈsmætəɹ/, [-ɾəɹ]

• Audio (California); [ˈsmæɾəɹ]:

  (file)

• Audio (North Carolina); [ˈsmæɾəɹ]:

  (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈsmætə/, [-ɾə]
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈsmɛtə/, [-ɾə]
• Rhymes: -ætə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: smat‧ter

Verb

smatter (third-person singular simple present smatters, present participle smattering, simple past and past participle smattered)

1. (transitive)
   1. (also figurative, obsolete) To make (someone or something) dirty; to bespatter, to soil.

      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dirty

      • 1602, William Watson, “The IIII. Article”, in A Decacordon of Ten Quodlibeticall Questions Concerning Religion and State: […], [London]: […] [Richard Field], →OCLC, page 110:

        To ſay the Ieſuites are all ſmattred vvith Atheiſme, I vvill not: and to ſay, that any of them all are abſolutely ſcotfree from it, I cannot: it is ſo repugnant from their ovvne principles.

      • 1602, William Watson, “The VI. Article”, in A Decacordon of Ten Quodlibeticall Questions Concerning Religion and State: […], [London]: […] [Richard Field], →OCLC, page 245:

        [I]f euer you ſee father Parſons booke of intended Reformation, you vvill finde roome ynough to put in more odious ſtuffe then I haue handled, or am vvilling to ſmatter my pen vvithall.

   2. (by extension, US) To hit (someone or something) with a liquid; to splash, to spatter.
   3. (figurative)
      1. To approach or study (something, such as a subject) superficially; to dabble in.
         • 1885, Robert Louis Stevenson, Fanny Van de Grift Stevenson, “Prologue of the Cigar Divan”, in More New Arabian Nights: The Dynamiter, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, pages 4–5:

           I have smattered law, smattered letters, smattered geography, smattered mathematics; I have even a working knowledge of judicial astrology; and here I stand, all London roaring by at the street's end, as impotent as any baby.

      2. To speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it.
         • 1609 December (first performance), Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Epicoene, or The Silent Woman. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, Act IIII, scene vii, page 586:

           The Barber ſmatters latin, I remember.

         • 1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “Canto I”, in Hudibras. The First Part. […], London: […] J. G. for Richard Marriot, […], →OCLC, page 7:

           All this, vvithout a Gloſs or Comment, / He vvould unriddle in a moment / In proper terms, ſuch as men ſmatter / VVhen they throvv out and miſs the matter.

         • 1673, Decimus Junius Juvenalis [i.e., Juvenal], “Satyre .VI.”, in Barten Holyday, transl., Decimus Junius Juvenalis, and Aulus Persius Flaccus Translated and Illustrated, as well with Sculpture as Notes, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] W[illiam] Downing, for F. Oxlad Senior, J. Adams, and F. Oxlad Junior, →OCLC, page 95:

           Smatter'ſt thou Greek ſtill? This tongue does ill grace / An old Trot, […]

         • 1860 January–June, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “The Bachelor of Beak Street”, in Lovel the Widower, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], published 1861, →OCLC, page 12:

           He smattered words in not a few foreign languages.

         • 1891 February–December, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Making Friends”, in In the South Seas […], New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1896, →OCLC, part I (The Marquesas), page 9:

           The languages of Polynesia are easy to smatter, though hard to speak with elegance.

2. (intransitive)
   1. (US) To hit with a liquid; to splash, to spatter.
   2. (figurative)
      1. To have a slight, superficial knowledge of something; to dabble.
         • 1530 July 28 (Gregorian calendar), Iohan Palsgraue [i.e., John Palsgrave], “The Table of Verbes”, in Lesclarcissement de la langue francoyse⸝ […], [London]: […] [Richard Pynson] fynnysshed by Iohan Haukyns, →OCLC, 3rd boke, folio ccclxiiii, verso, column 1; reprinted Geneva: Slatkine Reprints, October 1972, →OCLC:

           He ſmattereth a lytell of the lawe: […]

      2. (obsolete) To talk ignorantly or superficially; to babble, to chatter.
         • 1523, John Skelton, “A Ryght Delectable Tratyse vpon a Goodly Garlande or Chapelet of Laurell, […]”, in Alexander Dyce, editor, The Poetical Works of John Skelton: […], volume I, London: Thomas Rodd, […], published 1843, →OCLC, page 409, lines 1193–1196:

           How Cownterfet Cowntenaunce of the new get / With Crafty Conueyauance dothe smater and flater, / And Cloked Collucyoun is brought in to clater / With Courtely Abusyoun; […]

         • a. 1530 (date written), John Skelton, “Here after Foloweth a Lytell Boke, whiche hath to Name Why Come Ye Nat to Courte? […]”, in Alexander Dyce, editor, The Poetical Works of John Skelton: […], volume II, London: Thomas Rodd, […], published 1843, →OCLC, page 48, lines 711–712:

           For I abhore to smatter / Of one so deuyllysshe a matter.

         • a. 1521 (date written), [John Heywood], A Mery Play betwene the Pardoner and the Frere, the Curate and Neybour Pratte, London: […] Wyllyam Rastell, published 15 April 1533 (Gregorian calendar), →OCLC, signature [A.iv.], recto:

           What ſtandyſt thou there⸝ all the day ſmatterynge

         • c. 1591–1595 (date written), [William Shakespeare], […] Romeo and Juliet. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, published 1597, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v], signature H, recto:

           And vvhy my lady vviſedome? hold your tung, / Good prudence ſmatter vvith your goſſips, goe.

         • 1733, [Jonathan Swift], On Poetry: A Rapsody, Dublin; London: […] [R. Fleming] [a]nd sold by J. Huggonson, […], →OCLC, page 4, lines 49–52:

           For Poets, Lavv makes no Proviſion: / The VVealthy have you in deriſion. / Of State-Affairs you cannot ſmatter, / Are avvkvvard vvhen you try to flatter.

Conjugation

Conjugation of smatter

infinitive	(to) smatter
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	smatter	smattered
2nd-person singular	smatter, smatterest†	smattered, smatteredst†
3rd-person singular	smatters, smattereth†	smattered
plural	smatter
subjunctive	smatter	smattered
imperative	smatter	—
participles	smattering	smattered

^† Archaic or obsolete.

Derived terms

• smatterer
• smattering (adjective, noun)
• smatteringly (adverb)
• smattery

Translations

(transitive) to hit (someone or something) with a liquid; (intransitive) to hit with a liquid — see splash,‎ spatter

(transitive) to approach or study (something) superficially; (intransitive) to have a slight, superficial knowledge of something — see also dabble

• Czech: fušovat impf, zabývat se amatérsky impf
• Finnish: harrastella (fi), puuhastella (fi)
• German: dilettieren (de), versuchen (an etwas) (reflexive)

(transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it

• Arabic: لَحَنَ (laḥana)
• Bulgarian: говоря повърхностно (govorja povǎrhnostno)
• Catalan: xampurrejar (ca)
• Finnish: mongertaa (fi)
• French: baragouiner (fr)
• Galician: chapurrear (gl), cortar (gl)
• German: radebrechen (de), gebrochen sprechen
• Italian: masticare (it)
• Portuguese: arranhar (pt)
• Russian: кове́ркать (ru) impf (kovérkatʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ло̀мити impf

  Latin: lòmiti (sh) impf

• Spanish: chapurrar (es), chapurrear (es)
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can

Noun

smatter (plural smatters)

1. Synonym of smattering.
   1. A shallow or superficial knowledge of a subject.
      • a. 1700 (date written), William Temple, “Some Thoughts upon Reviewing the Essay of Antient and Modern Learning”, in Miscellanea. The Third Part. […], London: […] Jonathan Swift, […] Benjamin Tooke, […], published 1701, →OCLC, page 242:

        [A]ll other Sciences, they vvere in a manner extinguiſh'd during the Courſe of this Empire, excepting only a Smatter of Judicial Aſtrology, by vvhich, under the Name of Chaldeans, ſome of that Race long amazed ignorant and credulous People.

   2. A small amount or number of something.

      a smatter of applause

      • 1739, Alexander Nicol, “The Honest Country-man’s Meditation, as He was Humming It over Alone in Words at Resting-time”, in Nature without Art: Or, Nature’s Progress in Poetry. Being a Collection of Miscellany Poems, Edinburgh: […] P. Matthie, and sold by Alexander Beck […], →OCLC, page 109:

        [H]e can pray, and tell long Scrifts of Greek, / And broken Smatters of the Hebrevv ſpeak; / And in the Latin he is nicely read; / Can ſcrape and jouk; then is not he vvell bred?

Derived terms

• smatter-hauling

Translations

synonym of smattering — see smattering

Further reading

• Joseph Wright, editor (1905), “SMATTER, v. and sb.¹, sb.², sb.³”, in The English Dialect Dictionary: […], volume V (R–S), London: Henry Frowde, […], publisher to the English Dialect Society, […]; New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, →OCLC, page 550.

Anagrams

• Matters, matters

Swedish

Etymology

Deverbal from smattra.

Noun

smatter n

1. short, sharp, quickly repeating noises, like large raindrops against a window or someone typing quickly on a typewriter, spatter

Declension

Declension of smatter

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	smatter	smatters
	definite	smattret	smattrets
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

References

• “smatter”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “smatter”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)