patter: Meaning and Definition of

pat•ter

Pronunciation: (pat'ur), [key]
—v.t.
  1. to cause to patter.
  2. to spatter with something.
—n.
  1. a rapid succession of light tapping sounds: the steady patter of rain on the tin roof.
  2. the act of pattering.

pat•ter

Pronunciation: (pat'ur), [key]
— n.
  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.
—v.i.
  1. to talk glibly or rapidly, esp. with little regard to meaning; chatter.
  2. to repeat a paternoster or other prayer in a rapid, mechanical way.
—v.t.
  1. to recite or repeat (prayers, verses, etc.) in a rapid, mechanical way.
  2. to repeat or say rapidly or glibly.

pat•ter

Pronunciation: (pat'ur), [key]
— n.
  1. a person or thing that pats.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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