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

As he spoke, a steady rain pattered on the promenade facing Portland, just across the Columbia River.

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