Meanings
chittering1
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of chitter
chittering2
plural chitterings
- The sound of a chitter.
Another bird quickly learned to imitate the song of a canary that was mated with it, but as the parrakeet improved in the performance the canary degenerated, and came at last to mingle the other bird's harsh chitterings with its own proper music.
1870, Shirley Hibberd, Rustic Adornments for Homes of Taste, page 170
Origin
chittering · verb
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Full word history & related roots →chittering · noun
- Middle Englishchitering
- Englishchittering
From Middle English chitering, chiterynge, equivalent to chitter + -ing.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
chittering. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chittering
“chittering.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chittering. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chittering,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chittering.
Source: chittering on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.