smatter

See also: s'matter

English

Etymology

From Middle English smatteren, smateren. Compare Swedish smattra, Danish and Norwegian smadre (all of which mean to patter), German schmettern (“to resound”).

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsmæ.tə/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsmæ.təɹ/, [ˈsmæ.ɾɚ]
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ætə(ɹ)

Verb

smatter (third-person singular simple present smatters, present participle smattering, simple past and past participle smattered)

(intransitive) To talk superficially; to babble, chatter.
- 1533, John Heywood, A Mery Play Betwene the Pardoner and the Frere, London: Wyllyam Rastell,
  What standest thou there all the day smatterynge
- c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene v]:
  And why, my lady wisdom? hold your tongue,
  Good prudence; smatter with your gossips, go.
- 1733, Jonathan Swift “On Poetry” in The Poetical Works of Jonathan Swift, London: William Pickering, 1833, Volume 2, pp. 63-64,
  For poets, law makes no provision;
  The wealthy have you in derision:
  Of state affairs you cannot smatter;
  Are awkward when you try to flatter;
(transitive) To speak (a language) with spotty or superficial knowledge.
- 1891, Robert Louis Stevenson, In the South Seas, New York: Scribner, 1896, Chapter 2, p. 9,
  The languages of Polynesia are easy to smatter, though hard to speak with elegance.
(transitive, figuratively) To study or approach superficially; to dabble in.
To have a slight taste, or a slight, superficial knowledge, of anything; to smack.

Derived terms

smatterer
smattering

Translations

intransitive: talk superficially

Arabic: هَذَى‎ (haḏā)
Bulgarian: бърборя (bg) (bǎrborja)
French: lantiponner (fr) (archaic)
German: labern (de) (rude), schwätzen (de), schwafeln (de)
Hebrew: טָרָרָם‎ (he) (táraram)
Italian: blaterare (it)
Latin: blaterō
Russian: болта́ть (ru) impf (boltátʹ)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: бр̀бљати impf
Roman: br̀bljati (sh) impf
Slovene: brbljati
Spanish: charlar (es), parlotear (es)

to speak (a language) with spotty or superficial knowledge

Arabic: لَحَنَ‎ (laḥana)
Bulgarian: говоря повърхностно (govorja povǎrhnostno)
Catalan: xampurrejar (ca)
French: baragouiner (fr)
Galician: chapurrear (gl)
German: radebrechen (de)
Italian: masticare (it)
Russian: кове́ркать (ru) impf (kovérkatʹ)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ло̀мити impf
Roman: lòmiti (sh) impf
Spanish: chapurrar (es), chapurrear (es)

to study or approach superficially

Noun

smatter (plural smatters)

A smattering (small number or amount).
a smatter of applause
A smattering (superficial knowledge).

Anagrams

Matters, matters

Swedish

Noun

smatter n

short, sharp, quickly repeating noises, like large raindrops against a window or someone typing quickly on a typewriter, spatter

Declension

Declension of smatter
	Uncountable
	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	smatter	smattret	—	—
Genitive	smatters	smattrets	—	—

Related terms

smattra

References

smatter in Svensk ordbok (SO)
smatter in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)