patter

¹

[ pat-er ]

verb (used without object)

1. to make a rapid succession of light taps:

   Raindrops patter on the windowpane.

   Synonyms: pelt, rap, beat, pat

2. to move or walk lightly or quickly:

   The child pattered across the room.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to patter.
2. to spatter with something.

noun

1. a rapid succession of light tapping sounds:

   the steady patter of rain on the tin roof.

2. the act of pattering.

patter

²

[ pat-er ]

noun

1. meaningless, rapid talk; mere chatter; gabble.
2. the usually glib and rapid speech or talk used by a magician while performing, a barker at a circus or sideshow, a comedian or other entertainer, a vendor of questionable wares, or the like; stylized or rehearsed talk used to attract attention, entertain, etc.
3. amusing lines delivered rapidly by an entertainer or performer, as in a comic routine or in a song.
4. the jargon or cant of any class, group, etc.

verb (used without object)

1. to talk glibly or rapidly, especially with little regard to meaning; chatter.
2. to repeat a paternoster or other prayer in a rapid, mechanical way.

verb (used with object)

1. to recite or repeat (prayers, verses, etc.) in a rapid, mechanical way.
2. to repeat or say rapidly or glibly.

patter

³

[ pat-er ]

noun

1. a person or thing that pats. pat.

patter

¹

/ ˈpætə /

noun

1. the glib rapid speech of comedians, salesmen, etc
2. quick idle talk; chatter
3. the jargon of a particular group; lingo

verb

1. intr to speak glibly and rapidly
2. to repeat (prayers) in a mechanical or perfunctory manner

patter

²

/ ˈpætə /

verb

1. intr to walk or move with quick soft steps
2. to strike with or make a quick succession of light tapping sounds
3. rare.
   tr to cause to patter

noun

1. a quick succession of light tapping sounds, as of feet

   the patter of mice

Other Words From

• patter·er pater·ist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of patter¹

First recorded in 1605–15; pat ¹ + -er ⁶

Origin of patter²

First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English pateren “to say the paternoster, pray quickly and mechanically”; pater

Origin of patter³

pat ¹ + -er ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of patter¹

C14: from Latin pater in Pater Noster Our Father

Origin of patter²

C17: from pat ¹

Example Sentences

Years of honing her comic patter behind a bar helped and she quickly became established on the comedy circuit.

From BBC

His patter — fast, outraged, informed and tinged with well-timed jokes — was a master class in old-school talk radio.

From Los Angeles Times

Soon, though, his smooth and lyrical patter sold him on most Dodger fans, an old-school baseball guy with a poetic bent.

From Los Angeles Times

The joke-packed patter song, about three infants who are all suspects in the murder of their mother, was a source of narrative tension, since Martin’s character was extremely nervous about performing it in full.

From Los Angeles Times

Kathy becomes our narrator, her mile-a-minute Midwestern patter adding a layer of percussion to the rumbling engines and plaintive crooning of ’60s rock ‘n’ roll on the soundtrack.

From Los Angeles Times