rattle

Etymology 1

Middle English [Term?], from Old English hratele, ultimately imitative. The noun (c. 1500) is from the verb.

verb

1. (transitive, ergative) To create a rattling sound by shaking or striking.
   to rattle a chain
   Rattle the can of cat treats if you need to find Fluffy.
   It was a deflating end to the drama for the hosts and they appeared ruffled, with Bolton going close to a leveller when Johan Elmander rattled the bar with a header from Matt Taylor’s cross. February 5, 2011, Michael Kevin Darling, “Tottenham 2 - 1 Bolton”, in BBC
2. (transitive, figurative, informal) To scare, startle, unsettle, or unnerve.
   That United were rattled, mentally as well as at times physically – legitimately so – was beyond question. Nick Powell clipped a crisp drive a foot over the bar, but otherwise Milton Keynes had the best of the remainder of the first half. 26 August 2014, Richard Rae, “Manchester United humbled by MK Dons after Will Grigg hits double”, in The Guardian
   The German authorities are still trying to determine what damage their mole may have done. But the discovery of a double agent has rattled German political circles. 2023-02-17, Erika Solomon, Christopher F. Schuetze, Julian E. Barnes, “A Russian Mole in Germany Sows Suspicions at Home, and Beyond”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
3. (intransitive) To make a rattling noise; to make noise by or from shaking.
   I wish the dashboard in my car would quit rattling.
4. (transitive, obsolete) To assail, annoy, or stun with a rattling noise.
5. (transitive, obsolete) To scold; to rail at.
6. To drive or ride briskly, so as to make a clattering.
   We rattled along for a couple of miles.
7. To make a clatter with one's voice; to talk rapidly and idly; often with on or away.
   She rattled on for an hour.

noun

1. Object that rattles.
   1. Any of various plants of the genera Rhinanthus and Pedicularis, whose seeds produce a rattling noise in the wind.
   2. A baby’s toy designed to make sound when shaken, usually containing loose grains or pellets in a hollow container.
   3. (music) A musical instrument that makes a rattling sound.
   4. (zoology) The set of rings at the end of a rattlesnake's tail which produce a rattling sound.
      The rattle of the rattlesnake is composed of the hardened terminal scales, loosened in succession, but not cast off, and modified in form so as to make a series of loose, hollow joints.
2. Rattling sound.
   1. (onomatopoeia) A rapid succession of percussive sounds, as made by loose objects shaking or vibrating against one another.
      I wish they would fix the rattle under my dashboard.
      The rattle of a drum. 1902, Arthur M. Winfield, The Rover Boys in the Mountains, Chapter 4
   2. (now rare) Noisy, rapid talk; babble.
   3. (uncountable, now rare) Trivial chatter; gossip.
      “And pray where, Lady Honoria,” cried Mrs. Delvile, “do you contrive to pick up all this rattle?” 1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, III.v.5
   4. A noisy, senseless talker; a jabberer.
      ‘Sir James is a young Man of an amiable disposition, and excellent character;—a little too much of the Rattle perhaps, but a year or two will rectify that […].’ c. 1794, Jane Austen, Lady Susan
   5. (obsolete) A scolding; a sharp rebuke.
   6. A rough noise produced in the throat by air passing through obstructed airways; croup; a death rattle.

Etymology 2

From Arabic رَطْل (raṭl), variant of classical رِطْل (riṭl), ultimately from Ancient Greek λίτρα (lítra). Doublet of liter.

noun

1. (historical units of measure) Alternative form of rottol: a former Middle Eastern and North African unit of dry weight usually equal to 1–5 lb (0.5–2.5 kg).