Patters

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. Creating a series of soft, repetitive sounds like light rain or small footsteps
2. Describing a rhythmic and gentle noise made by repeated impacts or movements
3. Characterizing a quick, light beating or tapping sound resembling the sound of drops hitting a surface

Etymology: The plural "patters" is the third-person singular present form of the verb "patter", and in that sense it is the form readers meet most often: a light, quick tapping, as of rain on a roof or small feet on a floor. The verb's roots are onomatopoeic, imitating the sound itself, and it reached English in Middle English as "pateren". Its base is "pat", with the frequentative suffix "-er", which marks repeated action, so the verb means something like repeatedly patting or tapping. The noun is a separate development. It is recorded from 1758 in the sense of the cant, or secret jargon, of thieves and beggars, and it is attested only in that sense at first. The noun's relation to the verb is less clear-cut than the verb's own history, and the earlier Middle English noun "pater" points to the same sound-based root rather than to the later criminal meaning.

Synonyms: patterings, tapings