tatter

[ tat-er ]

/ ˈtæt ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tatter 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.

Nearby words

tatouay, tatp, tatpurusha, tatra mountains, tatt, tatter, tatterdemalion, tattered, tatters, tattersall, tattersall's

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

Definition for tatter (2 of 2)

tatter

[ 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. 2019

Examples from the Web for tatter

It had gone; no trace was left, not a tatter of cloth, not a spot of blood, nothing.
The Night Riders|Ridgwell Cullum
In Brenton's position, Opdyke would have kept his flags flying gayly, as long as there was a tatter of them left.
The Brentons|Anna Chapin Ray
She wished to discover what remnant, tatter or shred of her early faith still clung about her.
Evelyn Innes|George Moore
In the little brass bowl lay a blood-stained fragment of grayish hair attached to a tatter of skin.
The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu|Sax Rohmer

In the little brass bowl lay a blood-stained fragment of greyish hair attached to a tatter of skin.
The Devil Doctor|Sax Rohmer

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