tatter

¹ American  

[tat-er] / ˈtæt ər /

noun

1. a torn piece hanging loose from the main part, as of a garment or flag.

2. a separate torn piece; shred.

3. tatters, torn or ragged clothing.

   dressed in rags and tatters.

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verb (used with object)

1. to tear or wear to tatters.

verb (used without object)

1. to become ragged.

tatter ² American  

[tat-er] / ˈtæt ər /

noun

1. a person who does tatting, especially as an occupation.

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tatter British  

/ ˈtætə /

verb

1. to make or become ragged or worn to shreds

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noun

1. (plural) torn or ragged pieces, esp of material

2. 1. torn to pieces; in shreds

   2. destroyed or ruined

Etymology

Origin of tatter¹

1375–1425; (noun) late Middle English < Old Norse tǫturr rag, tatter; akin to Old English tætteca rag, shred; (v.) back formation from tattered

Origin of tatter²

First recorded in 1880–85; tat + -er ¹

Explanation

A tatter is a raggedy end or scrap of something, particularly paper or fabric. Your crazy cat might climb the curtains every night, until there's nothing left hanging from the rod but tatters. It's most common to find this word in its plural form, tatters. A homeless person might dress in tatters, and a serious hiker might wear a pair of socks until they're just tatters, then throw them away and put on a new pair. Tatter comes from an earlier word, tatrys, "slashed garments," which has a Scandinavian root and is related to words like the Old Norse töturr, "rags."

Related Words

• fragment
• iota
• modicum
• ounce
• sliver
• smidgen
• snippet
• speck
• whit