tatter

[ tat-er ]

/ ˈtæt ər /

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See synonyms for: tatter / tattered / tattering / tatters on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

a separate torn piece; shred.

tatters, torn or ragged clothing: dressed in rags and tatters.

verb (used with object)

to tear or wear to tatters.

verb (used without object)

to become ragged.

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Origin of tatter

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

Words nearby tatter

tatouay, TATP, tatpurusha, Tatra Mountains, TATT, tatter, tatterdemalion, tattered, tattersall, Tattersall's, tattie

Other definitions for tatter (2 of 2)

tatter²

[ tat-er ]

/ ˈtæt ər /

noun

a person who does tatting, especially as an occupation.

Origin of tatter

First recorded in 1880–85; tat + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tatter in a sentence

After this arduous start to our journey, I was, of course, disgusting and exhausted, emerging from the swamp in tatters.
What Did I Learn from the Swampy Muck of the Florida Trail? That I’m a Kink Hiker.|Patty Hodapp|February 27, 2022|Outside Online
Though most of the Spaniards survived the attack, they retreated west, the expedition in tatters.
Centuries-old tools reveal how the Chikasha people fought off conquistadors|Sara Chodosh|July 12, 2021|Popular-Science
Pong becomes a hero to Tiller, who is running, perhaps, from the sad tatters of his family life, which has been defined by his mother’s inexplicable and abrupt abandonment of him and his father.
Chang-rae Lee’s ‘My Year Abroad,’ is a sweeping, twisty tale of love, family and hope|Frances Cha|February 18, 2021|Washington Post
More often than not, James has been able to turn the corner on Robinson or Herro and get downhill with zero bodies in his path, time his own pull-up three or even split the defense and leave it in tatters.
The Heat Took A Page From The Lakers’ Playbook|Michael Pina|October 6, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

They were weary, ragged, lean—seven very tatter-demalions—and the front man led them, tapping the ground with a long stick.
King--of the Khyber Rifles|Talbot Mundy
Only here and there toward its lower rim a tatter in it revealed the giant's rugged brown muscle of volcanic rock.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 86, December, 1864|Various
You go round by Tatter Brook, says he, an climb the hill from behind.
Every Man for Himself|Norman Duncan
Now quite unexpectedly we saw the "tatter of scarlet" from a new angle.
A Tatter of Scarlet|S. R. Crockett
A lump of beeswax, with a tatter of an old handkerchief run through it, makes a candle on an emergency.
The Art of Travel|Francis Galton

British Dictionary definitions for tatter

tatter

/ (ˈtætə) /

verb

to make or become ragged or worn to shreds

noun

(plural) torn or ragged pieces, esp of material

in tatters

torn to pieces; in shreds
destroyed or ruined

Word Origin for tatter

C14: of Scandinavian origin; compare Icelandic töturr rag, Old English tættec, Old High German zæter rag

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

tatter

Origin of tatter

Words nearby tatter

Other definitions for tatter (2 of 2)

Origin of tatter

Words related to tatter

How to use tatter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tatter

Word Origin for tatter