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Rattle

 - 7 dictionary results
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rat⋅tle

1  [rat-l] verb, -tled, -tling, noun
Use Rattle in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to give out or cause a rapid succession of short, sharp sounds, as in consequence of agitation and repeated concussions: The windows rattled in their frames.
2. to move or go, esp. rapidly, with such sounds: The car rattled along the highway.
3. to talk rapidly; chatter: He rattled on for an hour about his ailments.
–verb (used with object)
4. to cause to rattle: He rattled the doorknob violently.
5. to drive, send, bring, etc., esp. rapidly, with rattling sounds: The wind rattled the metal can across the roadway.
6. to utter or perform in a rapid or lively manner: to rattle off a list of complaints.
7. to disconcert or confuse (a person): A sudden noise rattled the speaker.
8. Hunting. to stir up (a cover).
–noun
9. a rapid succession of short, sharp sounds, as from the collision of hard bodies.
10. an instrument contrived to make a rattling sound, esp. a baby's toy filled with small pellets that rattle when shaken.
11. the series of horny, interlocking elements at the end of the tail of a rattlesnake, with which it produces a rattling sound.
12. a rattling sound in the throat, as the death rattle.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME ratelen (v.), ratele (n.) (c. D ratelen, G rasseln); imit.

Synonyms:
1. clatter, knock. 7. discompose. 9. clatter.
Baby Rattles
Soft & Colorful Rattles from Top European Brands
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rat⋅tle

2  [rat-l]
–verb (used with object), -tled, -tling. Nautical.
to furnish with ratlines (usually fol. by down).
Origin:
1720–30; back formation from ratling ratline (taken as verbal n.)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Rattle
rat·tle 1   (rāt'l)   
v.   rat·tled, rat·tling, rat·tles

v.   intr.

    1. To make or emit a quick succession of short percussive sounds.

    2. To move with such sounds: A train rattled along the track.

  2. To talk rapidly and at length, usually without much thought: rattled on about this and that.

v.   tr.

  1. To cause to make a quick succession of short percussive sounds: rattled the dishes in the kitchen.

  2. To utter or perform rapidly or effortlessly: rattled off a list of complaints.

  3. Informal To fluster; unnerve: The accident rattled me. See Synonyms at embarrass.

n.  

  1. A rapid succession of short percussive sounds.

  2. A device, such as a baby's toy, that produces short percussive sounds.

  3. A rattling sound in the throat caused by obstructed breathing, especially near the time of death.

  4. The series of horny structures at the end of a rattlesnake's tail.

  5. Loud or rapid talk; chatter.


[Middle English ratelen, perhaps from Middle Dutch, probably of imitative origin.]
rat·tle 2   (rāt'l)   
tr.v.   rat·tled, rat·tling, rat·tles
To secure ratlines to (shrouds).

[Back-formation from rattling, ratline, variant of ratline.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

rattle  (v.)
c.1330, perhaps in O.E., but not recorded; if not, from M.Du. ratelen, probably of imitative origin (cf. Ger. rasseln "to rattle," Gk. kradao "I rattle"). Sense of "fluster" is first recorded 1869. The noun is first recorded 1500, in ref. to the sound; as a child's toy, recorded from 1519. Rattlesnake is from 1630; shortened form rattler is from 1827. Rattletrap is from 1766, originally a noun, "nicknacks, trifles, odds and ends;" adj. sense of "rickety" is recorded from 1834.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: rat·tle
Pronunciation: 'rat-&l
Function: noun
1 : the sound-producing organ on a rattlesnake's tail
2 : a throat noise caused by air passing through mucus; specifically : DEATH RATTLE —compare RALE, RHONCHUS
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Encyclopedia

rattle

percussion instrument consisting of resonant objects strung together and set in a sliding frame or enclosed in a container such that when it is shaken the parts strike against each other, producing sounds. In many societies, rattles are associated with the supernatural and accompany religious rites. Slung rattles (shells, bones, hooves, or similar objects strung on a cord or tied in bunches and attached to a dancer's body) are among the earliest musical instruments, appearing, along with gourd and tube rattles, in prehistoric times. Gourd rattles are particularly prominent as ritual instruments. Where gourds are uncommon, similar rattles are made of basketry, wood, clay, or other material. Gourd rattles known from their use in popular Latin American dance bands are the cabaca (Portuguese for "calabash"), a gourd enclosed in a beaded mesh, and maracas. Rattles are widely considered to have magical power, from the turtle rattles of the Native Americans of the northeastern United States and the gourd rattles of Amazonian Brazil to the shaman accoutrements of Africa and Oceania.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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