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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

smatter en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (California) audio
  • /ˈsmætə/ (Australia)
  • [-ɾəɹ] (Canada, General-American)
  • [-ɾə] (New-Zealand)
  • audio North Carolina
  • /ˈsmætəɹ/ (Canada, General-American)
  • [-ɾə] (Australia)
  • /ˈsmɛtə/ (New-Zealand)
  • /ˈsmætə/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English smateren, smatteren, smater, smatere (“to make dirty, defile; to talk idly, chatter; to speak foolishly”); further etymology uncertain, compare the following: * Middle English smotten (“to corrupt, debase, defile”) (whence English smot (obsolete)), related to Late Middle High German smotzen, a variant of smutzen (whence modern German schmutzen (“to become dirty or soiled; to make dirty, soil”)), from smuz (“dirt”). * Danish smadre (“to smash”), German schmettern (“to smash; to resound”) (from Middle High German smetern (“to chatter; to rattle; (dialectal) to make a smacking sound”)); Norwegian Bokmål smadre (“to smash”), Swedish smattra (“to make short, sharp, quickly repeating noises, patter, rattle”), possibly originally onomatopoeic. However, the Oxford English Dictionary says “real connection is very doubtful”. The noun is derived from the verb.

Meanings

  1. Synonym of smattering. ▸ A shallow or superficial knowledge of a subject.
    • [A]ll other Sciences, they vvere in a manner extinguiſh'd during the Courſe of this Empire, excepting only a Smatter of Judicial Aſtrology, by vvhich, under the Name of Chaldeans, ſome of that Race long amazed ignorant and credulous People. a. 1700 (date written), William Temple, “Some Thoughts upon Reviewing the Essay of Antient and Modern Learning”, in Miscellanea. The Third Part. […], London: […] Jonathan Swift, […] Benjamin Tooke, […], published 1701, →OCLC, page 242:
  2. Synonym of smattering. ▸ A small amount or number of something.
    • [H]e can pray, and tell long Scrifts of Greek, / And broken Smatters of the Hebrevv ſpeak; / And in the Latin he is nicely read; / Can ſcrape and jouk; then is not he vvell bred? 1739, Alexander Nicol, “The Honest Country-man’s Meditation, as He was Humming It over Alone in Words at Resting-time”, in Nature without Art: Or, Nature’s Progress in Poetry. Being a Collection of Miscellany Poems, Edinburgh: […] P. Matthie, and sold by Alexander Beck […], →OCLC, page 109:
    • a smatter of applause

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
smatters Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

smatter-hauling

wikipedia: Oxford English Dictionary

smatter en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • (California) audio
  • /ˈsmætə/ (Australia)
  • [-ɾəɹ] (Canada, General-American)
  • [-ɾə] (New-Zealand)
  • audio North Carolina
  • /ˈsmætəɹ/ (Canada, General-American)
  • [-ɾə] (Australia)
  • /ˈsmɛtə/ (New-Zealand)
  • /ˈsmætə/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English smateren, smatteren, smater, smatere (“to make dirty, defile; to talk idly, chatter; to speak foolishly”); further etymology uncertain, compare the following: * Middle English smotten (“to corrupt, debase, defile”) (whence English smot (obsolete)), related to Late Middle High German smotzen, a variant of smutzen (whence modern German schmutzen (“to become dirty or soiled; to make dirty, soil”)), from smuz (“dirt”). * Danish smadre (“to smash”), German schmettern (“to smash; to resound”) (from Middle High German smetern (“to chatter; to rattle; (dialectal) to make a smacking sound”)); Norwegian Bokmål smadre (“to smash”), Swedish smattra (“to make short, sharp, quickly repeating noises, patter, rattle”), possibly originally onomatopoeic. However, the Oxford English Dictionary says “real connection is very doubtful”. The noun is derived from the verb.

Meanings

  1. (also, figuratively, obsolete, transitive) To make (someone or something) dirty; to bespatter, to soil.
    • To ſay the Ieſuites are all ſmattred vvith Atheiſme, I vvill not: and to ſay, that any of them all are abſolutely ſcotfree from it, I cannot: it is ſo repugnant from their ovvne principles. 1602, William Watson, “The IIII. Article”, in A Decacordon of Ten Quodlibeticall Questions Concerning Religion and State: […], [London]: […] [Richard Field], →OCLC, page 110:
    • [I]f euer you ſee father Parſons booke of intended Reformation, you vvill finde roome ynough to put in more odious ſtuffe then I haue handled, or am vvilling to ſmatter my pen vvithall. 1602, William Watson, “The VI. Article”, in A Decacordon of Ten Quodlibeticall Questions Concerning Religion and State: […], [London]: […] [Richard Field], →OCLC, page 245:
  2. (US, broadly, transitive) To hit (someone or something) with a liquid; to splash, to spatter.
  3. (figuratively, transitive) To approach or study (something, such as a subject) superficially; to dabble in.
    • I have smattered law, smattered letters, smattered geography, smattered mathematics; I have even a working knowledge of judicial astrology; and here I stand, all London roaring by at the street's end, as impotent as any baby. 1885, Robert Louis Stevenson, Fanny Van de Grift Stevenson, “Prologue of the Cigar Divan”, in More New Arabian Nights: The Dynamiter, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, pages 4–5:
  4. (figuratively, transitive) To speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it.
    • Smatter'ſt thou Greek ſtill? This tongue does ill grace / An old Trot, […] 1673, Decimus Junius Juvenalis [i.e., Juvenal], “Satyre .VI.”, in Barten Holyday, transl., Decimus Junius Juvenalis, and Aulus Persius Flaccus Translated and Illustrated, as well with Sculpture as Notes, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] W[illiam] Downing, for F. Oxlad Senior, J. Adams, and F. Oxlad Junior, →OCLC, page 95:
    • All this, vvithout a Gloſs or Comment, / He vvould unriddle in a moment / In proper terms, ſuch as men ſmatter / VVhen they throvv out and miſs the matter. 1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “Canto I”, in Hudibras. The First Part. […], London: […] J. G. for Richard Marriot, […], →OCLC, page 7:
    • The languages of Polynesia are easy to smatter, though hard to speak with elegance. 1891 February–December, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Making Friends”, in In the South Seas […], New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1896, →OCLC, part I (The Marquesas), page 9:
    • The Barber ſmatters latin, I remember. 1609 December (first performance), Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Epicoene, or The Silent Woman. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, Act IIII, scene vii, page 586:
    • He smattered words in not a few foreign languages. 1860 January–June, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “The Bachelor of Beak Street”, in Lovel the Widower, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], published 1861, →OCLC, page 12:
  5. (US, intransitive) To hit with a liquid; to splash, to spatter.
  6. (figuratively, intransitive) To have a slight, superficial knowledge of something; to dabble.
    • He ſmattereth a lytell of the lawe: […] 1530 July 28 (Gregorian calendar), Iohan Palsgraue [i.e., John Palsgrave], “The Table of Verbes”, in Lesclarcissement de la langue francoyse⸝ […], [London]: […] [Richard Pynson] fynnysshed by Iohan Haukyns, →OCLC, 3rd boke, folio ccclxiiii, verso, column 1; reprinted Geneva: Slatkine Reprints, October 1972, →OCLC:
  7. (figuratively, intransitive, obsolete) To talk ignorantly or superficially; to babble, to chatter.
    • What ſtandyſt thou there⸝ all the day ſmatterynge a. 1521 (date written), [John Heywood], A Mery Play betwene the Pardoner and the Frere, the Curate and Neybour Pratte, London: […] Wyllyam Rastell, published 15 April 1533 (Gregorian calendar), →OCLC, signature [A.iv.], recto:
    • For Poets, Lavv makes no Proviſion: / The VVealthy have you in deriſion. / Of State-Affairs you cannot ſmatter, / Are avvkvvard vvhen you try to flatter. 1733, [Jonathan Swift], On Poetry: A Rapsody, Dublin; London: […] [R. Fleming] [a]nd sold by J. Huggonson, […], →OCLC, page 4, lines 49–52:
    • And vvhy my lady vviſedome? hold your tung, / Good prudence ſmatter vvith your goſſips, goe. c. 1591–1595 (date written), [William Shakespeare], […] Romeo and Juliet. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, published 1597, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v], signature H, recto:
    • How Cownterfet Cowntenaunce of the new get / With Crafty Conueyauance dothe smater and flater, / And Cloked Collucyoun is brought in to clater / With Courtely Abusyoun; […] 1523, John Skelton, “A Ryght Delectable Tratyse vpon a Goodly Garlande or Chapelet of Laurell, […]”, in Alexander Dyce, editor, The Poetical Works of John Skelton: […], volume I, London: Thomas Rodd, […], published 1843, →OCLC, page 409, lines 1193–1196:
    • For I abhore to smatter / Of one so deuyllysshe a matter. a. 1530 (date written), John Skelton, “Here after Foloweth a Lytell Boke, whiche hath to Name Why Come Ye Nat to Courte? […]”, in Alexander Dyce, editor, The Poetical Works of John Skelton: […], volume II, London: Thomas Rodd, […], published 1843, →OCLC, page 48, lines 711–712:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
smattering Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
smatteredst Number=Sing, Person=2, Tense=Past archaic lexicographic
smatter Number=Plur, Tense=Pres lexicographic
smatter VerbForm=Inf lexicographic
smatter Mood=Sub, Tense=Pres lexicographic
smatter Number=Sing, Person=1, Tense=Pres lexicographic
smatter Mood=Imp, Tense=Pres lexicographic
smatter Number=Sing, Person=2, Tense=Pres lexicographic
smattereth Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres archaic lexicographic
smatterest Number=Sing, Person=2, Tense=Pres archaic lexicographic
smattered Number=Plur, Tense=Past lexicographic
smattered Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Past lexicographic
smattered Number=Sing, Person=2, Tense=Past lexicographic
smattered Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
smattered Mood=Sub, Tense=Past lexicographic
smattered Number=Sing, Person=1, Tense=Past lexicographic
smattered Tense=Past lexicographic
smatters Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic

Deriveds

smatterer · smattery · smattering · smatteringly

Synonyms

sowl · beshit · befile · assoil · uggle · defile · tarnish · beray · dirten · besully · smirch · sully · foil · besmear · dirty · contaminate · inquinate · begrime · gunk · bedirty · elt · sling mud · blot · stain · scunge · blur · besmirch · slur · darken · befoul · smudge · file · imbrue (especially with blood) · smut · soil · spot · foul · gunk up · bedaub · bedizen · smutch · smear · soss · sullow · slotter · blacken · beclart · bewray · clat · befilth

Translations (22)

cs zabývat se amatérsky ((transitive) to approach or study (something) superficially; (intransitive) to have a slight, superficial knowledge of something — see also dabble) · it masticare ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · fi mongertaa ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · de versuchen (an etwas) ((transitive) to approach or study (something) superficially; (intransitive) to have a slight, superficial knowledge of something — see also dabble) · sh lòmiti ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · gl cortar ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · ar لَحَنَ ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · sh ло̀мити ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · ca xampurrejar ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · gl chapurrear ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · pt arranhar ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · es chapurrar ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · de gebrochen sprechen ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · bg говоря повърхностно ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · fr baragouiner ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · de dilettieren ((transitive) to approach or study (something) superficially; (intransitive) to have a slight, superficial knowledge of something — see also dabble) · es chapurrear ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · cs fušovat ((transitive) to approach or study (something) superficially; (intransitive) to have a slight, superficial knowledge of something — see also dabble) · fi puuhastella ((transitive) to approach or study (something) superficially; (intransitive) to have a slight, superficial knowledge of something — see also dabble) · ru кове́ркать ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it) · fi harrastella ((transitive) to approach or study (something) superficially; (intransitive) to have a slight, superficial knowledge of something — see also dabble) · de radebrechen ((transitive) to speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it)

wikipedia: Oxford English Dictionary