witter

W4I1T1T1E1R1
UK/ˈwɪtə(ɹ)/US/ˈwɪtɚ/US[ˈwɪɾɚ]

verb

To speak at length on a trivial subject.

“She got home and started wittering about some religious cult she’d just heard about.”

OriginMiddle English witter ← North Germanic ← Old Norse vitr →
Less commonScrabble 9
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Meanings

witter1

verbwitter (third-person singular simple present witters, present participle wittering, simple past and past participle wittered)

present singular third person witters · participle present wittering · participle past wittered · past wittered

  1. informalintransitiveTo speak at length on a trivial subject.

    She got home and started wittering about some religious cult she’d just heard about.

    1 more example

    When people witter on about pollution nowadays, I think of the days when going to school in broad daylight, I couldn't see my feet in the London smog. I had to feel the kerb with my front bike wheel.

    2022 February 23, Benedict le Vay, “Part of rail's past... present... and future”, in RAIL, number 951, page 55

witter2

adjectivewitter (comparative more witter, superlative most witter)

comparative more witter · superlative most witter

  1. dialectalobsoleteknowing, certain, sure, wis.

witter3

verbwitter (third-person singular simple present witters, present participle wittering, simple past and past participle wittered)

present singular third person witters · participle present wittering · participle past wittered · past wittered

  1. dialectalintransitiveobsoleteto make sure, inform, or declare.

Witter4

proper nounWitter (plural Witters)

plural Witters

  1. A surname.

Origin

witter · adjective

  1. Proto-Indo-European*weyd-“to know”
  2. Proto-Germanic*witraz“knowing”
  3. Old Norsevitr“wise, knowing”
  4. North Germanic
  5. Middle Englishwitter
  6. Englishwitter

From Middle English witter, witer, of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse vitr (“wise, knowing”), from Proto-Germanic *witraz (“knowing”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to know”). Cognate with Icelandic vitur (“wise”). More at wit, wis.

More words from Middle English, North Germanic, Old Norse

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witter · verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*weyd-“to know”
  2. Proto-Germanic*witrōną“to make wise”
  3. Old Norsevitra“to make wise, make sure”
  4. North Germanic
  5. Middle Englishwitteren
  6. Englishwitter

From Middle English witteren, witeren, of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse vitra (“to make wise, make sure”), from Proto-Germanic *witrōną (“to make wise”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to know”). Cognate with Icelandic vitra (“to make wise, make certain”), Icelandic vitur (“wise”). More at wit, wis.

More words from Middle English, North Germanic, Old Norse

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Witter · proper noun

  1. Middle Englishwhitere“a bleacher, caulker, whitewasher”
  2. Middle EnglishWitere
  3. EnglishWitter

From Middle English Witere, Wytere, Whittere, Whytere (surname), from Middle English whitere (“a bleacher, caulker, whitewasher”), equivalent to white + -er.

More words from Middle English

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Translations

Czech tlachat, žvanit
  • tlachatto speak at length on a trivial subject
  • žvanitto speak at length on a trivial subject
Māori tarawhete
  • tarawheteto speak at length on a trivial subject

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with witter

bitterglittersplittersitterhitterjittercritterfitterknitterquitterfritterskitterflittertwitterchitterchemotransmittercrinklecritterdiapercritterembitterin the shitternitterpampcritterquittorreknitter
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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