Clatter

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈklætɚ/

Definitions

1. To produce a series of loud, sharp, rattling sounds ; a sudden, noisy rattling or banging sound typically made by metal or hard objects striking each other
2. To cause a noisy clashing or rattling, often from objects hitting together in quick succession ; the sharp, continuous noise created by items clashing or falling
3. To create a rapid succession of loud noises often from collision or agitation ; a loud, often chaotic sound made by hard elements knocking or rattling

Etymology: Clatter is one of those words that sounds like what it means, and its history bears that out. It descends from the Middle English verb "clatren", meaning to make a rattling sound, which in turn grew from an Old English ancestor that was probably built on the noise itself. Dutch and Low German relatives such as "klateren" and "kletteren" show the same sound-driven pattern, with the consonant cluster kl- signalling sharp, clattering impact across several related languages. The noun came later, formed from the verb and first recorded in the 14th century. Its earliest sense was simply the din that such rattling produces, and the word has kept that core meaning ever since, from a cart bumping over cobbles to dishes knocked together in a sink.

Synonyms: clanging, rattle, clink