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."

Example Sentences

Some of his posts: drama critic of the Sunday Times, film critic of the Tatter, book reviewer for the Daily Express, theater commentator for BBC.

From Time Magazine Archive

Tommy Tatter, Tommy Tatter, I’d like to see you looking fatter; I’d like to see your skin much sweeter; I’d like to see your dress much neater.

From Tommy Tatters Uncle Toby's Series by Unknown

The flag was of a vivid crimson, darker a little than the "Tatter of Scarlet" I had seen go up at Aramon when the Communards expelled the troops from the town.

From A Tatter of Scarlet Adventurous Episodes of the Commune in the Midi 1871 by Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)

Not but Mrs. D. and Mary Anne are of a contrary opinion, and tauntingly ask me if I prefer a "Tatter Jack Walsh," at the cross-roads, to Taglioni.

From The Dodd Family Abroad, Vol. I by Lever, Charles James

We had had our first glimpse of "The Tatter of Scarlet."

From A Tatter of Scarlet Adventurous Episodes of the Commune in the Midi 1871 by Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)

Related Words

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