What does chittered mean?
"Chittered" is the past tense of "chitter," a small but expressive English verb with two main senses. First, it means to shiver or tremble, especially with cold or fear, as when farm animals stand chittering in a freezing wind. Second, it describes the short, high-pitched chirps and squeaks made by birds, mice, and other small creatures. The word is largely literary and rather old-fashioned, appearing most often in British writing that evokes rustic or wintry scenes, and everyday speech typically substitutes "shivered" or "twittered." It belongs to an imitative family of words — alongside "chatter," "twitter," and "chat" — whose sounds mimic the noises they describe. Though rare today, "chittered" rewards writers seeking a precise, atmospheric alternative: it captures both physical trembling and animal vocalisation in a single vivid term, lending prose a touch of traditional rural colour.
verbPast tense and past participle of "chitter": to shiver or chatter with cold or fear; also, of birds or small creatures, to make quick, high-pitched chirping sounds.
- To shiver or tremble, especially from cold or fear (often said of people or animals).
- Of birds or small animals, to utter short, high-pitched chirping or squeaking sounds.
"The lambs chittered in the icy wind as they huddled against their mothers."
"We stood on the platform chittering until the train finally arrived with its warmth."
"The sparrows chittered excitedly among the hedgerows at first light."
"Chittered" does double duty in English: it can describe your own teeth rattling in the cold or the tiny squeaking chorus of mice behind a wall.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chittered
"Chitter" arose in English, probably in the sixteenth century, as an imitative formation related to "chatter" and "twitter," words built on the syllable "ch-" or "chit-" to echo quick, repeated small sounds. Its earliest sense was to chirp or twitter like young birds, with the shivering sense developing from the same idea of rapid, involuntary motion — much as "chatter" came to mean teeth knocking together. It remains chiefly dialectal and literary, especially in Scots and northern English usage.
Related word forms
How chittered is actually used
A chiefly literary and somewhat archaic word, more common in British English than American. In the shivering sense it often appears in descriptions of animals or rural scenes; in modern speech, speakers usually prefer "shivered." The bird-noise sense overlaps with "twitter" and "chirrup."
Easily confused with chittered
"Jittered" means moved nervously or jerkily from anxiety, whereas "chittered" means shivered with cold or made small chirping noises.
"Chattered" refers broadly to rapid talking or teeth knocking together, while "chittered" is a rarer word for shivering or the thin chirping of birds and small animals.
"Glittered" means sparkled brightly, sharing only a similar ending sound with "chittered," which describes shivering or chirping.