|
|
| |
Definitions for: Rattle
[n] loosely connected horny sections at the end of a rattlesnake's tail
[n] a baby's toy that makes percussive noises when shaken
[n] a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders); "the death rattle"
[v] shake and cause to make a rattling noise
[v] make short successive sounds
Webster (1913) Definition: Rat"tle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Rattled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Rattling.] [Akin to D. ratelen, G. rasseln, AS. hr[ae]tele
a rattle, in hr[ae]telwyrt rattlewort; cf. Gr. ? to swing,
wave. Cf. Rail a bird.]
1. To make a quick succession of sharp, inharmonious noises,
as by the collision of hard and not very sonorous bodies
shaken together; to clatter.
And the rude hail in rattling tempest forms.
--Addison.
'T was but the wind, Or the car rattling o'er the
stony street. --Byron.
2. To drive or ride briskly, so as to make a clattering; as,
we rattled along for a couple of miles. [Colloq.]
3. To make a clatter with a voice; to talk rapidly and idly;
to clatter; -- with on or away; as, she rattled on for an
hour. [Colloq.]
Rat"tle, v. t.
1. To cause to make a ratting or clattering sound; as, to
rattle a chain.
2. To assail, annoy, or stun with a ratting noise.
Sound but another [drum], and another shall As loud
as thine rattle the welkin's ear. --Shak.
3. Hence, to disconcert; to confuse; as, to rattle one's
judgment; to rattle a player in a game. [Colloq.]
4. To scold; to rail at. --L'Estrange.
To rattle off.
(a) To tell glibly or noisily; as, to rattle off a story.
(b) To rail at; to scold. ``She would sometimes rattle off
her servants sharply.'' --Arbuthnot.
Rat"tle, n.
1. A rapid succession of sharp, clattering sounds; as, the
rattle of a drum. --Prior.
2. Noisy, rapid talk.
All this ado about the golden age is but an empty
rattle and frivolous conceit. --Hakewill.
3. An instrument with which a ratting sound is made;
especially, a child's toy that rattle when shaken.
The rattles of Isis and the cymbals of Brasilea
nearly enough resemble each other. --Sir W.
Raleigh.
Pleased with a rattle, tickled with a straw. --Pope.
4. A noisy, senseless talker; a jabberer.
It may seem strange that a man who wrote with so
much perspicuity, vivacity, and grace, should have
been, whenever he took a part in conversation, an
empty, noisy, blundering rattle. --Macaulay.
5. A scolding; a sharp rebuke. [Obs.] --Heylin.
6. (Zo["o]l.) Any organ of an animal having a structure
adapted to produce a ratting sound.
Note: The rattle of the rattlesnake is composed of the
hardened terminal scales, loosened in succession, but
not cast off, and so modified in form as to make a
series of loose, hollow joints.
7. The noise in the throat produced by the air in passing
through mucus which the lungs are unable to expel; --
chiefly observable at the approach of death, when it is
called the death rattle. See R[^a]le.
To spring a rattle, to cause it to sound.
Yellow rattle (Bot.), a yellow-flowered herb ({Rhinanthus
Crista-galli}), the ripe seeds of which rattle in the
inflated calyx.
Synonyms: rale, rattling
See Also: agitate, crackle, crepitate, crepitation rale, go, jaw, noise, plaything, rattle down, rattle off, rattle on, rattler, rattlesnake, reel off, roll off, ruckle, shake, sound, spiel off, tail, toy, yack, yack away, yap away
|
|
Try our:
Scrabble Word Finder
Scrabble Cheat
Words With Friends Cheat
Hanging With Friends Cheat
Scramble With Friends Cheat
Ruzzle Cheat
Related Resources:
animals beginning with i
f letter animals
animals starting with y
|
