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chatter

noun
/ˈtʃætə/UK/ˈt͡ʃætɚ/US

Etymology

Etymology tree Middle English cheteren, chiteren (Imitative)der. Middle English chateren English chatter From Middle English chateren, from earlier cheteren, chiteren (“to twitter, chatter, jabber”), of imitative origin. Compare Saterland Frisian tjoaterje (“to chatter”), West Frisian tsjotterje (“to chatter”), Dutch schateren, schetteren (“chatter”), Dutch koeteren (“jabber”), Middle Low German kidderen (“to chatter”), German Low German queteln (“to chatter”), dialectal German kaudern (“to gobble (like a turkey)”), Danish kvidre (“to twitter, chirp”).

  1. inherited from chateren

Definitions

  1. Talk, especially meaningless or unimportant talk.

    • Although hardly coming under my theme, I cannot omit this: "Against a woman's chatter: Taste at night fasting a root of radish, that day the chatter cannot harm thee."

  2. The sound of talking.

  3. The vocalisations of a Eurasian magpie, Pica pica.

  4. ›+ 10 more definitions

    1. The vocalisations of various birds or other animals.

      • The hare cried and complained of the terrible February cold and the disgusting chatter of the owls[.]
      • The wind rose as the earth darkened, so that fading chatters of woodland animals were countered by the strengthening sounds of waving trees […]

    2. An intermittent noise, as from vibration.

      • Proper brake adjustment will help to reduce the chatter.

    3. In national security, the degree of communication between suspect groups and individuals,…

      In national security, the degree of communication between suspect groups and individuals, used to gauge the degree of expected terrorist activity.

      • The NSA is concerned about increased chatter between known terror groups.

    4. The situation where a drill or similar tool vibrates and tears the material rather than…

      The situation where a drill or similar tool vibrates and tears the material rather than cutting it cleanly.

    5. To talk idly.

      • They knitted and chattered the whole time.
      • That teacheth trickes eleuen and twentie long, / To tame a ſhrew, and charme her chattering tongue.

    6. To make a noise by rapid collisions.

      • He was so cold that his teeth were chattering.
      • The software in modern machine tools can often predict and prevent movements that would cause the cutting tool to chatter.

    7. To utter sounds which somewhat resemble language, but are inarticulate and indistinct.

      • The jay makes answer, as the magpie chatters with delight.

    8. One who chats.

    9. A user of livestream chat.

    10. A user of chat rooms.

      • During the chat sessions, two outreach team members would engage in a conversation about the topic chosen for that event in the main chat room and entice other chatters to join in.

The neighborhood

Derived

antichatter, chatterati, chatteration, chatterbag, chatter-basket, chatterbot, chatterbox, chatterish, chatter ring, chattersome, chitter-chatter, cyberchatter, roof-brain chatter, achatter, chatterer, chatter mark, chattery, outchatter

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for chatter. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA