chatter

Contents

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtʃætə/
• (US) enPR: chătʹər, IPA^(key): /ˈtʃætɚ/
• Rhymes: -ætə(r)

Etymology 1

From Middle English chateren, from earlier cheteren, chiteren (“to twitter, chatter, jabber”), of imitative origin. Compare Flemish schateren (“chatter”), schetteren, Dutch koeteren (“jabber”), dialectal German kaudern (“to gobble (like a turkey)”), Danish kvidre (“to twitter, chirp”).

Noun

chatter (uncountable)

1. Talk, especially meaningless or unimportant talk.
2. The sound of talking.
3. The sound made by a magpie.
4. An intermittent noise, as from vibration.

   Proper brake adjustment will help to reduce the chatter.

5. 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.

Synonyms

• (talk, especially meaningless or unimportant talk): chattering, chatting, nattering
• See also Thesaurus:chatter

Translations

talk, especially meaningless or unimportant talk

• Albanian: bërbëlit (sq)
• Bulgarian: дърдорене (bg) n (dǎrdorene)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 廢話 (zh), 废话 (zh) (fèihuà), 閒話 (zh) or 閑話 (zh), 闲话 (zh) (xiánhuà)

• Dutch: geklets (nl) n
• Finnish: jaarittelu (fi), juttelu (fi), rupattelu (fi), lörpöttely (fi)
• French: jacassement (fr) m, bagou (fr) m
• German: Geplapper (de) n, Gequatsche (de) n, Geschnatter n, Gequake n, Geschwätz (de) n, Gequassel (de) n
• Irish: aighneas m

• Italian: chiacchierio m, chiacchiericcio m
• Japanese: 無駄話 (むだばなし, mudabanashi), 冗言 (じょうげん, jōgen)
• Maori: tarawhete, kōtetetete
• Portuguese: falatório
• Quechua: qasi simi
• Russian: болтовня́ (ru) f (boltovnjá), трёп (ru) m (trjop)
• Scottish Gaelic: goileam m
• Spanish: parloteo (es), cotorreo (es), cháchara, palique
• Swedish: babbel (sv) n, pladder (sv) n
• Turkish: çene çalmak (tr), gevezelik (tr)

sound of talking

• Dutch: geroezemoes (nl) n
• Finnish: pulina (fi)
• Italian: brusio m, mormorio (it) m
• Maori: haunene

• Portuguese: burburinho (pt)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} barullo (es) m, ^{(please verify)} vocerio m

sound of a magpie

• Danish: skræppe
• Dutch: gekwetter (nl) n
• Finnish: räkätys (fi)

• French: jacassement (fr) m
• Italian: gracidio (it) m, gracchio (it) m
• Maori: koekoe

intermittent noise, as from vibration

• Bulgarian: дрънчене (bg) n (drǎnčene), вибрация (bg) f (vibracija)
• Danish: hakke, klapre

• Finnish: kalina (fi), kolina (fi)
• Italian: vibrazione (it) f, stridio (it) m, cigolio m
• Portuguese: zumbido (pt)

degree of communication between suspects

• Finnish: chattailu

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} charlatanear (es)

Verb

chatter (third-person singular simple present chatters, present participle chattering, simple past and past participle chattered)

1. (intransitive) To talk idly.

   They knitted and chattered the whole time.

   • Shakespeare

     To tame a shrew, and charm her chattering tongue.

2. (intransitive) Of teeth, machinery, etc, to make a noise by rapid collisions.

   He was so cold that his teeth were chattering.

3. To utter sounds which somewhat resemble language, but are inarticulate and indistinct.
   • Wordsworth

     The jaw makes answer, as the magpie chatters.

Synonyms

• (talk idly): chat, natter
• (make a chattering noise): clatter, knock, pink (said of an engine)

Translations

talk idly

• Albanian: bërbëlitje (sq)
• Bulgarian: бъбря (bg) (bǎbrja), дърдоря (bg) (dǎrdorja)
• Danish: plapre, sludre, snakke, hyggesnakke, småsnakke
• Dutch: kletsen (nl), kwebbelen (nl)
• Esperanto: babili (eo)
• Finnish: jutella (fi), rupatella, lörpötellä (fi), (colloquial) turista (fi)
• French: jacasser (fr), bavarder (fr)
• German: plaudern (de), schwatzen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: στωμύλλω (stōmúllō), λαλέω (laléō)

• Hungarian: cseveg (hu), csacsog (hu), cseverészik (hu)

• Latin: garriō
• Maori: tarawhete, pātihau, kōtetetete
• Old English: ġeorran
• Portuguese: papear, bater papo (pt)
• Quechua: chanrararay
• Russian: болта́ть (ru) (boltátʹ), трепа́ться (ru) (trepátʹsja)
• Spanish: parlotear (es), cotorrear (es)
• Swedish: kallprata
• Telugu: వాగు (te) (vāgu)
• Volapük: luspikön (vo), luspikotön
• Westrobothnian: törres

make a chattering noise

• Bulgarian: дрънча (bg) (drǎnča)
• Danish: klapre
• Finnish: kalista (fi)
• Hungarian: vacog (hu)

• Maori: tetetete, hūkeke (of teeth when cold), korokī (of bird song)
• Norman: saqu'ter (Jersey)
• Russian: стуча́ть зуба́ми (stučátʹ zubámi)
• Scottish Gaelic: bi a' snagadaich

to utter sounds that are largely inarticulate

• Maori: pātīhau

Etymology 2

chat +‎ -er

Noun

chatter (plural chatters)

1. one who chats
2. (Internet) a user of chat rooms
   • 2013, Michael K. Sullivan, Sexual Minorities, page 148:

     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.

Further reading

• chatter in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• chatter in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• chatter at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• ratchet, traceth