"pitter-patter" meaning in English

See pitter-patter in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈpɪt.əˈpæt.ə/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈpɪt.ɚˈpæt.ɚ/ [General-American] Audio: en-us-pitter-patter.ogg
Etymology: Reduplication of patter. Etymology templates: {{reduplication|en|patter}} Reduplication of patter Head templates: {{en-noun|-}} pitter-patter (uncountable)
  1. A soft, percussive sound, as of tiny feet, or of rain on a rooftop; patter. Tags: uncountable Translations (soft percussive sound): রিমঝিম (rimojhim) (Bengali), tepsutus (english: tiny feet) (Finnish), ropina (english: rain) (Finnish), clapotis [masculine] (French), tapotement [masculine] (French), Getapse (note: of feet) [neuter] (German), scalpiccìo (english: tiny feet) [masculine] (Italian), picchiettìo (english: rain) [masculine] (Italian), ぱたぱたと (patapata) (Japanese), しとしと (Japanese), رِم جِھم (rim jhim) [feminine] (Urdu), lộp độp (Vietnamese), bôm bốp (Vietnamese)
    Sense id: en-pitter-patter-en-noun-ySkwSzOp Categories (other): English apophonic reduplications Disambiguation of English apophonic reduplications: 46 54

Verb

IPA: /ˈpɪt.əˈpæt.ə/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈpɪt.ɚˈpæt.ɚ/ [General-American] Audio: en-us-pitter-patter.ogg Forms: pitter-patters [present, singular, third-person], pitter-pattering [participle, present], pitter-pattered [participle, past], pitter-pattered [past]
Etymology: Reduplication of patter. Etymology templates: {{reduplication|en|patter}} Reduplication of patter Head templates: {{en-verb}} pitter-patter (third-person singular simple present pitter-patters, present participle pitter-pattering, simple past and past participle pitter-pattered)
  1. (intransitive) To patter; to scurry. Tags: intransitive Categories (topical): Sounds
    Sense id: en-pitter-patter-en-verb-izvmXNX1 Disambiguation of Sounds: 44 56 Categories (other): English apophonic reduplications, English coordinated pairs, English entries with incorrect language header, English onomatopoeias, English reduplications, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Bengali translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Japanese translations, Terms with Urdu translations, Terms with Vietnamese translations Disambiguation of English apophonic reduplications: 46 54 Disambiguation of English coordinated pairs: 45 55 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 41 59 Disambiguation of English onomatopoeias: 21 79 Disambiguation of English reduplications: 21 79 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 20 80 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 26 74 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 13 87 Disambiguation of Terms with Bengali translations: 23 77 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 21 79 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 15 85 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 17 83 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 13 87 Disambiguation of Terms with Japanese translations: 13 87 Disambiguation of Terms with Urdu translations: 19 81 Disambiguation of Terms with Vietnamese translations: 22 78

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "patter"
      },
      "expansion": "Reduplication of patter",
      "name": "reduplication"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Reduplication of patter.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
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      "expansion": "pitter-patter (uncountable)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "46 54",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English apophonic reduplications",
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        {
          "ref": "1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 237:",
          "text": "Once or twice I heard a faint pitter-patter like the feet of the dog going hither and thither on the sand far below me, and there were more bird-like sounds, but that was all.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A soft, percussive sound, as of tiny feet, or of rain on a rooftop; patter."
      ],
      "id": "en-pitter-patter-en-noun-ySkwSzOp",
      "links": [
        [
          "soft",
          "soft"
        ],
        [
          "percussive",
          "percussive"
        ],
        [
          "sound",
          "sound"
        ],
        [
          "tiny",
          "tiny"
        ],
        [
          "feet",
          "feet"
        ],
        [
          "rain",
          "rain"
        ],
        [
          "rooftop",
          "rooftop"
        ],
        [
          "patter",
          "patter"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "bn",
          "lang": "Bengali",
          "roman": "rimojhim",
          "sense": "soft percussive sound",
          "word": "রিমঝিম"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "english": "tiny feet",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "soft percussive sound",
          "word": "tepsutus"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "english": "rain",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "soft percussive sound",
          "word": "ropina"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "soft percussive sound",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "clapotis"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "soft percussive sound",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "tapotement"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "note": "of feet",
          "sense": "soft percussive sound",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "Getapse"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "english": "tiny feet",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "soft percussive sound",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "scalpiccìo"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "english": "rain",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "soft percussive sound",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "picchiettìo"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "patapata",
          "sense": "soft percussive sound",
          "word": "ぱたぱたと"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "sense": "soft percussive sound",
          "word": "しとしと"
        },
        {
          "code": "ur",
          "lang": "Urdu",
          "roman": "rim jhim",
          "sense": "soft percussive sound",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "رِم جِھم"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "soft percussive sound",
          "word": "lộp độp"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "soft percussive sound",
          "word": "bôm bốp"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɪt.əˈpæt.ə/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɪt.ɚˈpæt.ɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-pitter-patter.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4a/En-us-pitter-patter.ogg/En-us-pitter-patter.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/En-us-pitter-patter.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pitter-patter"
}

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  "etymology_templates": [
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        "2": "patter"
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      "expansion": "Reduplication of patter",
      "name": "reduplication"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Reduplication of patter.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pitter-patters",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pitter-pattering",
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      "form": "pitter-pattered",
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        "past"
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
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          "_dis": "46 54",
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          "_dis": "21 79",
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          "_dis": "21 79",
          "kind": "other",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "15 85",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "17 83",
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "13 87",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
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          "_dis": "13 87",
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "19 81",
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "22 78",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Vietnamese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "44 56",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Sounds",
          "orig": "en:Sounds",
          "parents": [
            "Sound",
            "Energy",
            "Nature",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1996, Stephen Leather, The Double Tap, BCA, page 97:",
          "text": "The rain was coming down heavier now, the drops pitter-pattering on the roof of the truck.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To patter; to scurry."
      ],
      "id": "en-pitter-patter-en-verb-izvmXNX1",
      "links": [
        [
          "patter",
          "patter"
        ],
        [
          "scurry",
          "scurry"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To patter; to scurry."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɪt.əˈpæt.ə/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɪt.ɚˈpæt.ɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-pitter-patter.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4a/En-us-pitter-patter.ogg/En-us-pitter-patter.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/En-us-pitter-patter.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pitter-patter"
}
{
  "categories": [
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    "English coordinated pairs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English onomatopoeias",
    "English reduplications",
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    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Japanese translations",
    "Terms with Urdu translations",
    "Terms with Vietnamese translations",
    "en:Sounds"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "patter"
      },
      "expansion": "Reduplication of patter",
      "name": "reduplication"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Reduplication of patter.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
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      "expansion": "pitter-patter (uncountable)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 237:",
          "text": "Once or twice I heard a faint pitter-patter like the feet of the dog going hither and thither on the sand far below me, and there were more bird-like sounds, but that was all.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A soft, percussive sound, as of tiny feet, or of rain on a rooftop; patter."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "soft",
          "soft"
        ],
        [
          "percussive",
          "percussive"
        ],
        [
          "sound",
          "sound"
        ],
        [
          "tiny",
          "tiny"
        ],
        [
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          "feet"
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          "rain"
        ],
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          "rooftop",
          "rooftop"
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          "patter",
          "patter"
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      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
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    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɪt.əˈpæt.ə/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɪt.ɚˈpæt.ɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-pitter-patter.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4a/En-us-pitter-patter.ogg/En-us-pitter-patter.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/En-us-pitter-patter.ogg"
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  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bn",
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "roman": "rimojhim",
      "sense": "soft percussive sound",
      "word": "রিমঝিম"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "english": "tiny feet",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "soft percussive sound",
      "word": "tepsutus"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "english": "rain",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "soft percussive sound",
      "word": "ropina"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "soft percussive sound",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "clapotis"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "soft percussive sound",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "tapotement"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "note": "of feet",
      "sense": "soft percussive sound",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "Getapse"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "english": "tiny feet",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "soft percussive sound",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "scalpiccìo"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "english": "rain",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "soft percussive sound",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "picchiettìo"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "patapata",
      "sense": "soft percussive sound",
      "word": "ぱたぱたと"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "sense": "soft percussive sound",
      "word": "しとしと"
    },
    {
      "code": "ur",
      "lang": "Urdu",
      "roman": "rim jhim",
      "sense": "soft percussive sound",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "رِم جِھم"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "soft percussive sound",
      "word": "lộp độp"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "soft percussive sound",
      "word": "bôm bốp"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pitter-patter"
}

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  "etymology_templates": [
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  "etymology_text": "Reduplication of patter.",
  "forms": [
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      "form": "pitter-patters",
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        "third-person"
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      "form": "pitter-pattering",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
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        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
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        {
          "ref": "1996, Stephen Leather, The Double Tap, BCA, page 97:",
          "text": "The rain was coming down heavier now, the drops pitter-pattering on the roof of the truck.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To patter; to scurry."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "patter",
          "patter"
        ],
        [
          "scurry",
          "scurry"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To patter; to scurry."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɪt.əˈpæt.ə/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
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    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɪt.ɚˈpæt.ɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-pitter-patter.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4a/En-us-pitter-patter.ogg/En-us-pitter-patter.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/En-us-pitter-patter.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pitter-patter"
}

Download raw JSONL data for pitter-patter meaning in English (5.7kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.