witter

See also: Witter

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈwɪtə(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈwɪtɚ/, [ˈwɪɾɚ]
• Rhymes: -ɪtə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

Verb

witter (third-person singular simple present witters, present participle wittering, simple past and past participle wittered)

1. (intransitive, informal) To speak at length on a trivial subject.

   She got home and started wittering about some religious cult she’d just heard about.

   • 2022 February 23, Benedict le Vay, “Part of rail's past... present... and future”, in RAIL, number 951, page 55:

     When people witter on about pollution nowadays, I think of the days when going to school in broad daylight, I couldn't see my feet in the London smog. I had to feel the kerb with my front bike wheel.

Translations

to speak at length on a trivial subject

• Czech: tlachat (cs) impf, žvanit (cs) impf
• Maori: tarawhete

Etymology 2

From Middle English witter, witer, of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse vitr (“wise, knowing”), from Proto-Germanic *witraz (“knowing”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to know”). Cognate with Icelandic vitur (“wise”). More at wit, wis.

Adjective

witter (comparative more witter, superlative most witter)

1. (obsolete or dialectal) knowing, certain, sure, wis.

Etymology 3

From Middle English witteren, witeren, of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse vitra (“to make wise, make sure”), from Proto-Germanic *witrōną (“to make wise”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to know”). Cognate with Icelandic vitra (“to make wise, make certain”), Icelandic vitur (“wise”). More at wit, wis.

Verb

witter (third-person singular simple present witters, present participle wittering, simple past and past participle wittered)

1. (intransitive, obsolete or dialectal) to make sure, inform, or declare.

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɪtər/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

witter

1. comparative degree of wit; whiter

Elfdalian

Etymology

From Old Norse vetr, from Proto-Germanic *wintruz. Cognate with Swedish vinter.

Noun

witter m

1. winter

Inflection

Declension of witter

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	witter	wittern	wittrer	witträr
accusative	witter	wittern	witter	wittrą
dative	witter	wittrem	wittrum	wittrum(e)
genitive	wittres *	—	—	—

* Occurs in the phrase: i wittres (this winter)

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈvɪtɐ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

witter

1. inflection of wittern:
   1. first-person singular present
   2. singular imperative

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈwetər]

Noun

witter (plural witters)

1. (Southern Scots) water