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definitions

tatter

1
[tat-er]
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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.

RELATED WORDS

speck, fragment, snippet, modicum, whit, smidgen, iota, sliver, ounce, hole, crack, needle, garb, frock, sportswear, tear, shave, unravel, erode, frazzle

Nearby words

  1. tatouay,
  2. tatp,
  3. tatpurusha,
  4. tatra mountains,
  5. tatt,
  6. tatterdemalion,
  7. tattered,
  8. tatters,
  9. tattersall,
  10. tattersall's

Origin of tatter

1
1375–1425; (noun) late Middle English < Old Norse tǫturr rag, tatter; akin to Old English tætteca rag, shred; (v.) back formation from tattered

tatter

2
[tat-er]

noun

a person who does tatting, especially as an occupation.

Origin of tatter

2
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

British Dictionary definitions for tatter

tatter

verb

to make or become ragged or worn to shreds

noun

(plural) torn or ragged pieces, esp of material
in tatters
  1. torn to pieces; in shreds
  2. 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
Word Origin and History for tatter

tatter

v.

mid-14c., "clad in slashed garments," from Old Norse toturr "rag," cognate with Old English tættec, tætteca "rag, tatter," Low German tater "tatter." The noun is attested from c.1400.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper