Patter definition
The patter of rain on the rooftops.
The patter of rain on leaves.
I could hear the patter of mice running about in the dark.
The bullets pattered into the log-cabin walls.
Rain pattered steadily against the glass.
Other Word Forms
Noun
Origin of patter
- Middle English pateren shortening and alteration of paternoster paternoster (from the mechanical and rapid recitation of the prayer) paternoster
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- Frequentative of pat
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- Circa 1400, from paternoster (“the Lord's prayer"), possibly influenced by imitative sense (above), Latin pater (“father"), from Proto-Indo-European *phâ‚‚tḗr.
From Wiktionary
- 1610s, pat +"Ž -er (“frequentative (indicating repeated action)"), of (onomatopoeia) origin.
From Wiktionary
- Noun attested 1758, originally referring to the cant of thieves and beggers.
From Wiktionary
- pat +"Ž -er (“agent")
From Wiktionary