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rattle

Pronunciation: /ˈɹæ.təl/

The English word “rattle” has 19 meanings listed here.

verb

  1. To create a rattling sound by shaking or striking.
  2. To scare, startle, unsettle, or unnerve.
  3. To make a rattling noise; to make noise by or from shaking.
  4. To assail, annoy, or stun with a rattling noise.
  5. To scold; to rail at.
  6. To drive or ride briskly, so as to make a clattering.
  7. To make a clatter with one's voice; to talk rapidly and idly; often with on or away.
  8. To experience withdrawal from drugs.

noun

  1. Any of various plants of the genera Rhinanthus and Pedicularis, whose seeds produce a rattling noise in the wind.
  2. A baby’s toy designed to make sound when shaken, usually containing loose grains or pellets in a hollow container.
  3. A musical instrument that makes a rattling sound.
  4. A device which produces a loud rattling sound, especially one having a ratchet mechanism and spun round on a handle.
  5. The set of rings at the end of a rattlesnake's tail which produce a rattling sound.
  6. A rapid succession of percussive sounds, as made by loose objects shaking or vibrating against one another.
  7. Noisy, rapid talk; babble.
  8. Trivial chatter; gossip.
  9. A noisy, senseless talker; a jabberer.
  10. A scolding; a sharp rebuke.
  11. A rough noise produced in the throat by air passing through obstructed airways; croup; a death rattle.

Etymology

From Middle English ratelen, of uncertain origin; perhaps borrowed from Middle Dutch ratelen or of native origin related to Old English hratele, hrætele (“a plant known for its rustling or rattling sound”), ultimately imitative. The noun (c. 1500) is from the verb.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.