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chat·ter (chătər)
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v. chat·tered, chat·ter·ing, chat·ters
v. intr.
1. To talk rapidly, incessantly, and on trivial subjects; jabber.
2. To utter a rapid series of short, inarticulate, speechlike sounds: birds chattering in the trees.
3. To click quickly and repeatedly: Our teeth chattered from the cold.
4. To vibrate or rattle while in operation: A power drill will chatter if the bit is loose.
v. tr.
To utter in a rapid, usually thoughtless way: chattered a long reply.
n.
1. Idle, trivial talk.
2. Communication, such as email and phone calls, between people who are involved in terrorism or espionage, as monitored by a government agency.
3. The sharp, rapid sounds made by some birds and animals.
4. A series of quick rattling or clicking sounds.
[Middle English chateren, of imitative origin.]
chatter·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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