Makes short, quick sounds or vibrations, like the chattering sound of teeth when cold, or nervous bird sounds.
From Middle English 'chiteren,' likely imitating the actual sound—an onomatopoeia. Related to 'chatter' and showing how English contains many words that sound like what they mean.
Your body automatically makes your teeth chitter when you're cold because shivering generates heat, but your jaw chattering is actually your muscles contracting so rapidly they vibrate—it's a biological survival feature that we describe using a word that imitates the exact sound.
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