patter 1. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

patter¹

SYLLABICATION:	pat·ter
PRONUNCIATION:	ptr
VERB:	Inflected forms: pat·tered, pat·ter·ing, pat·ters
INTRANSITIVE VERB:	1. To make a quick succession of light soft tapping sounds: Rain pattered steadily against the glass. 2. To move with quick, light, softly audible steps.
TRANSITIVE VERB:	To cause to patter.
NOUN:	A quick succession of light soft tapping sounds: the patter of rain on the rooftops.
ETYMOLOGY:	Frequentative of pat¹.


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.