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rat·tle 1  (rătl)
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Tweet v. rat·tled, rat·tling, rat·tles v.intr. 1. a. To make or emit a quick succession of short percussive sounds. b. To move with such sounds: A train rattled along the track. 2. To talk rapidly and at length, usually without much thought: rattled on about this and that. v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick succession of short percussive sounds: rattled the dishes in the kitchen. 2. To utter or perform rapidly or effortlessly: rattled off a list of complaints. 3. Informal To fluster; unnerve: The accident rattled me. n. 1. A rapid succession of short percussive sounds. 2. A device, such as a baby's toy, that produces short percussive sounds. 3. A rattling sound in the throat caused by obstructed breathing, especially near the time of death. 4. The series of horny structures at the end of a rattlesnake's tail. 5. Loud or rapid talk; chatter. [Middle English ratelen; akin to Middle Dutch ratelen and Old English hrate, hratele, a kind of plant with rattling seed capsules, all probably ultimately of imitative origin.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
tr.v. rat·tled, rat·tling, rat·tles To secure ratlines to (shrouds). |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
