Nearby Words

skitter

[skit-er] Origin

skit·ter

[skit-er]
verb (used without object)
1.
to go, run, or glide lightly or rapidly.
2.
to skim along a surface.
3.
Angling. to draw a lure or a baited hook over the water with a skipping motion.
verb (used with object)
4.
to cause to skitter.

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Skitter is one of our favorite verbs.
So is kibitz. Does it mean:
chat, to converse
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.

Origin:
1835–45; skit, variant of skite1 + -er6
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
skitter (ˈskɪtə)
 
vb (often foll by off)
1.  to move or run rapidly or lightly; scamper
2.  to skim or cause to skim lightly and rapidly, as across the surface of water
3.  (intr) angling to draw a bait lightly over the surface of water
 
[C19: probably from dialect skite to dash about; related to Old Norse skjōta to shoot]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

skitter
"to run rapidly," 1845, frequentative of skite "to dart, run quickly" (1721), perhaps from a Scand. source (cf. Icelandic skjota "to shoot," or Norw. dialectal skutla "glide rapidly"); related to source of skit (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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