Squitter

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To move with quick, jittery, restless motions ; a informal British term for diarrhoea, usually used in the plural form ; an unprompted, repeated radio signal broadcast by a transmitting device
2. To flit about in a jumpy, agitated manner ; an old colloquial name for loose bowels, typically spoken of as the squitters ; a regular, self-initiated transmission sent out by an electronic device
3. To dart around with twitchy, nervous movements ; a slang word for diarrhoea, most often heard in the plural ; a periodic signal that a device transmits on its own without being polled

Etymology: "Squitter" is a verb built from "squit," an older English word meaning "to squirt," with the suffix "-er" added. The "-er" ending is a frequentative, meaning it signals repeated or continued action, so "squitter" describes doing the squirting again and again in small bursts. Its close relative "skitter," meaning to move lightly and quickly over a surface, shows the same pattern of rapid, repeated motion. The two words are close enough that they are often mixed up, and the sense of quick, light, repeated movement links them. "Squit" itself conveys a thin, sharp spurt of liquid, and "squitter" carries that sudden, scattering quality into motion, as with something hurrying or jittering across a surface.

Synonyms: scurry, scuttle, skitter, scamper, dart