PATTER

spiel, patter, line of gab

(noun) plausible glib talk (especially useful to a salesperson)

patter

(noun) a quick succession of light rapid sounds; “the patter of mice”; “the patter of tiny feet”

patter, pitter-patter

(verb) make light, rapid and repeated sounds; “gently pattering rain”

sprinkle, spit, spatter, patter, pitter-patter

(verb) rain gently; “It has only sprinkled, but the roads are slick”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

patter (plural patters)

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

Verb

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

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

To spatter; to sprinkle.

Etymology 2

Noun

patter (countable and uncountable, plural patters)

Glib and rapid speech, such as from an auctioneer or a sports commentator.

Verb

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

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

(intransitive, obsolete) To repeat the Lord's Prayer.

(intransitive, obsolete) To pray.

(transitive, obsolete) To repeat hurriedly; to mutter.

Etymology 3

Noun

patter (plural patters)

One who pats.

Anagrams

• Pratte, p'tater

Source: Wiktionary


Pat"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pattered; p. pr. & vb. n. Pattering.] Etym: [Freq. of pat to strike gently.]

1. To strike with a quick succession of slight, sharp sounds; as, pattering rain or hail; pattering feet. The stealing shower is scarce to patter heard. Thomson.

2. To mutter; to mumble; as, to patter with the lips. Tyndale. Etym: [In this sense, and in the following, perh. from paternoster.]

3. To talk glibly; to chatter; to harangue. [Colloq.] I've gone out and pattered to get money. Mayhew.

Pat"ter, v. t.

1. To spatter; to sprinkle. [R.] "And patter the water about the boat." J. R. Drake.

2. Etym: [See Patter, v. i., 2.]

Definition: To mutter; as prayers. [The hooded clouds] patter their doleful prayers. Longfellow. To patter flash, to talk in thieves' cant. [Slang]

Pat"ter, n.

1. A quick succession of slight sounds; as, the patter of rain; the patter of little feet.

2. Glib and rapid speech; a voluble harangue.

3. The cant of a class; patois; as, thieves's patter; gypsies' patter.

PAT

Pat, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Patted; p. pr. & vb. n. Patting.] Etym: [Cf. G. patschen, Prov. G. patzen, to strike, tap.]

Definition: To strike gently with the fingers or hand; to stroke lightly; to tap; as, to pat a dog. Gay pats my shoulder, and you vanish quite. Pope.

Pat, n.

1. A light, quik blow or stroke with the fingers or hand; a tap.

2. A small mass, as of butter, shaped by pats. It looked like a tessellated work of pats of butter. Dickens.

Pat, a. Etym: [Cf. pat a light blow, D. te pas convenient, pat, where pas is fr. F. passer to pass.]

Definition: Exactly suitable; fit; convenient; timely. "Pat allusion." Barrow.

Pat, adv.

Definition: In a pat manner. I foresaw then 't would come in pat hereafter. Sterne.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

7 May 2025

RUNNER

(noun) a person who is employed to deliver messages or documents; “he sent a runner over with the contract”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the most massive cup of coffee contained 22,739.14 liters and was created by Alcaldía Municipal de Chinchiná (Colombia) at Parque de Bolívar, Chinchiná, Caldas, Colombia, on 15 June 2019. Fifty people worked for more than a month to build this giant cup. The drink prepared was Arabic coffee.

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