Link Centre Dictionary

patter

pat·ter

UK/ˈpæt.ə/ US/ˈpæt.ɚ/ uncommon obsolete
noun (2) verb (2)

noun

1.
2.

a quick succession of light rapid sounds

  • “the patter of mice”
  • “the patter of tiny feet”

verb

1.

rain gently

  • “It has only sprinkled, but the roads are slick”
Synonyms
2.

make light, rapid and repeated sounds

  • “gently pattering rain”
Synonyms

Origin

Noun is from Middle English pater, verb is from Middle English pateren. Noun attested 1758, originally referring to the cant of thieves and beggers.

Phrases

  • patter flash

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.