Patted vs Patter - What's the difference?
patted | patter |
(pat)
The sound of a light slap or tap with a soft flat object, especially of a footstep
A light tap or slap, especially with the hands
A flattish lump of soft matter, especially butter or dung.
* Charles Dickens
To (gently) tap the flat of one's hand on a person or thing.
* 1877 , (Anna Sewell), (Black Beauty) Chapter 22[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Black_Beauty/22]
To hit lightly and repeatedly with the flat of the hand to make smooth or flat
* 1900 , L. Frank Baum , The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Chapter 23
(Australia, New Zealand) To stroke or fondle (an animal).
To gently rain.
timely, suitable, apt, opportune, ready for the occasion; especially of things spoken
* 1788, Cowper, Pity for Africans , p 18
trite, being superficially complete, lacking originality
* 2010, New York Times ,
opportunely, in a timely or suitable way.
* c''. 1600 , William Shakespeare, '' III.iii
Perfectly.
patent
(knitting) pattern
* 2012 , Kari Cornell, Knitting Sweaters from around the World (page 52)
The soft sound of feet walking on a hard surface.
*{{quote-book, year=1907, author=
, title=The Dust of Conflict
, chapter=7 To make irregularly repeated sounds of low-to-moderate magnitude and lower-than-average pitch.
* Thomson
To spatter; to sprinkle.
* J. R. Drake
To speak in such a way – glibly and rapidly, such as from an auctioneer, or when bantering during a sports event.
* Mayhew
As a verb patted
is (pat).As a noun patter is
godfather.patted
English
Verb
(head)pat
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) . For loss of ''l , compare (patch) for (platch); (pate) for (plate), etc. See (l).Noun
(en noun)- It looked like a tessellated work of pats of butter.
Derived terms
* pat on the back (n.) * patter * pitter-pat: a diminutive of footfalls. "the pitter-pat of little feet running around the house."Verb
(patt)- To show affection, he decided he would pat the boy on the head.
- He came round to each of us to pat and speak to us for the last time; his voice sounded very sad.
- I patted the cookie dough into shape.
- Before they went to see Glinda, however, they were taken to a room of the Castle, where Dorothy washed her face and combed her hair, and the Lion shook the dust out of his mane, and the Scarecrow patted himself into his best shape, and the Woodman polished his tin and oiled his joints.
- Do you want to pat the cat?
Derived terms
* pat down * pat on the back (v.)Adjective
(en adjective)- a pat expression
- A story so pat , you may think it is coined.
Editorial: Jobs and the Class of 2010, May 23.
- The pat answer is that college students should consider graduate school as a way to delay a job search until things turn around, and that more high school students should go to college to improve their prospects. ''
Derived terms
* pat handAdverb
(en adverb)- Now might I do it pat
- He has the routine down pat .
Derived terms
* pat in the middleSee also
* strike * hit * feel * nameEtymology 2
Abbreviation.Noun
(en noun)- Work in pat to next underarm marker, sm, place next st on holder
Anagrams
* ----patter
English
Etymology 1
1610s, of (onomatopoeia) origin.Noun
(en noun)- I could hear the patter of mice running about in the dark.
citation, passage=The patter of feet, and clatter of strap and swivel, seemed to swell into a bewildering din, but they were almost upon the fielato offices, where the carretera entered the town, before a rifle flashed.}}
Derived terms
* pitter-patterVerb
(en verb)- The bullets pattered into the log-cabin walls.
- The stealing shower is scarce to patter heard.
- Patter the water about the boat.
Etymology 2
Circa 1400, from . Noun attested 1758, originally referring to the cant of thieves and beggers.Verb
(en verb)- I've gone out and pattered to get money.