chatter

Etymology 1

From Middle English chateren, from earlier cheteren, chiteren (“to twitter, chatter, jabber”), of imitative origin. Compare Saterland Frisian tjoaterje (“to chatter”), West Frisian tsjotterje (“to chatter”), Dutch schateren, schetteren (“chatter”), Dutch koeteren (“jabber”), dialectal German kaudern (“to gobble (like a turkey)”), Danish kvidre (“to twitter, chirp”).

noun

1. Talk, especially meaningless or unimportant talk.
   Although hardly coming under my theme, I cannot omit this: "Against a woman's chatter: Taste at night fasting a root of radish, that day the chatter cannot harm thee." 1940, Rosetta E. Clarkson, Green Enchantments: The Magic Spell of Gardens, The Macmillan Company, page 257
2. The sound of talking.
3. The vocalisations of a Eurasian magpie, Pica pica.
4. The vocalisations of various birds or other animals.
   The hare cried and complained of the terrible February cold and the disgusting chatter of the owls[.] 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 117
   The wind rose as the earth darkened, so that fading chatters of woodland animals were countered by the strengthening sounds of waving trees […] 2016, Cornelia F. Mutel, A Sugar Creek Chronicle, page 41
5. An intermittent noise, as from vibration.
   Proper brake adjustment will help to reduce the chatter.
6. (uncountable) In national security, the degree of communication between suspect groups and individuals, used to gauge the degree of expected terrorist activity.
   The NSA is concerned about increased chatter between known terror groups.
7. (uncountable) The situation where a drill or similar tool vibrates and tears the material rather than cutting it cleanly.

verb

1. (intransitive) To talk idly.
   They knitted and chattered the whole time.
2. (intransitive, of teeth, machinery, etc.) To make a noise by rapid collisions.
   He was so cold that his teeth were chattering.
3. To utter sounds which somewhat resemble language, but are inarticulate and indistinct.
   Is your cat intently staring out the window at a bird on a branch and “chattering” in a kind of shaky, high-pitched, breathy way? If so, she is expressing excitement at what she's observing (or maybe the desire to attack what she sees as prey). 2016, David Meyer, Abbie Moore, Pia Salk, The Total Cat Manual, Weldon Owen International

Etymology 2

chat + -er

noun

1. One who chats.
2. (Internet) A user of chat rooms.
   During the chat sessions, two outreach team members would engage in a conversation about the topic chosen for that event in the main chat room and entice other chatters to join in. 2013, Michael K. Sullivan, Sexual Minorities, page 148