atter

A1T1T1E1R1
UK/ˈætə/US/ˈætəɹ/

noun

Poisonous bodily fluid, especially venom of a venomous animal, such as a snake, dragon or other reptile; corrupt or morbid matter from the body, such as pus from a sore or wound; bitter substance, such as bile.

OriginMiddle English atter ← Old English āttor ← Proto-West Germanic *aitr →
RareScrabble 5
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Meanings

nounatter (plural atters)

plural atters · alternative Scotland attir · alternative Scotland etter

  1. UKarchaicdialectalPoisonous bodily fluid, especially venom of a venomous animal, such as a snake, dragon or other reptile; corrupt or morbid matter from the body, such as pus from a sore or wound; bitter substance, such as bile.
  2. archaicfigurativelyMoral corruption or corruptness; noxious or corrupt influence, poison to the soul, evil, anger, envy, hatred; destruction, death.
  3. UKdialectalEpithelium produced on the tongue.
  4. UKdialectalA scab; a dry sore.
verbatter (third-person singular simple present atters, present participle attering, simple past and past participle attered)

present singular third person atters · participle present attering · participle past attered · past attered · alternative Scotland attir · alternative Scotland etter

  1. UKdialectalto venom; sting
  2. UKdialectalto discharge, as a sore; clot; curdle; cake

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
poisonvenom

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eyd-
  2. Proto-Germanic*aitrą“gland, matter”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*aitr
  4. Old Englishāttor
  5. Middle Englishatter
  6. Englishatter

From Middle English atter, ater, from Old English āttor, ǣttor, ātor (“poison”), from Proto-West Germanic *aitr, from Proto-Germanic *aitrą (“gland, matter”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyd-, *h₂oyd- (“tumor, abscess”), related to Ancient Greek οἶδος (oîdos, “swelling, tumour, abscess, produced by internal action”). Cognate with Scots attir (“corrupt matter, pus”), Scots atter, etter (“poison, venom”), Shetlandic eter (“poison; bitter cold”), Old Norse eitr, Icelandic eitur (“poison”), Faroese eitur, Norwegian eiter (“venom”), Swedish etter (“poison, venom, virulence”), Danish edder, ædder (“venom”), Saterland Frisian Atter (“pus”), Dutch etter (“pus”), German Eiter (“poison, pus”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 毒液
  • 毒液 (dúyè)poisonous bodily fluid
Danish edder
  • edderpoisonous bodily fluid
Dutch ether
  • etherpoisonous bodily fluid
German Eiter
  • Eiterpoisonous bodily fluid
Icelandic eitur
  • eiturpoisonous bodily fluid
Latin vīrus
  • vīruspoisonous bodily fluid
Polish jad
  • jadpoisonous bodily fluid
Swedish etter, förgiftning
  • etterpoisonous bodily fluid
  • förgiftningmoral corruption or corruptness

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with atter

matterlatterchatterbatterplatterscatterflattershatterhattersplatterpatterclattersatyrspatterattarnattertattera matterbespattergatterrattersmatter
All rhymes →

Anagrams

treattetrataterratteteart
Cite this entry
APA

atter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/atter

MLA

“atter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/atter. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “atter,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/atter.

Source: atter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.