Nominal Forms
Infinitive: to smatter
Participle: smattered
Gerund: smattering
Cognates
-
Indicative
Present
| I | smatter |
| you | smatter |
| he;she;it | smatters |
| we | smatter |
| you | smatter |
| they | smatter |
Perfect
| I | have smattered |
| you | have smattered |
| he;she;it | has smattered |
| we | have smattered |
| you | have smattered |
| they | have smattered |
Past
| I | smattered |
| you | smattered |
| he;she;it | smattered |
| we | smattered |
| you | smattered |
| they | smattered |
Pluperfect
| I | had smattered |
| you | had smattered |
| he;she;it | had smattered |
| we | had smattered |
| you | had smattered |
| they | had smattered |
Future
| I | will smatter |
| you | will smatter |
| he;she;it | will smatter |
| we | will smatter |
| you | will smatter |
| they | will smatter |
Future Perfect
| I | will have smattered |
| you | will have smattered |
| he;she;it | will have smattered |
| we | will have smattered |
| you | will have smattered |
| they | will have smattered |
Subjunctive
Present
| I | smatter |
| you | smatter |
| he;she;it | smatter |
| we | smatter |
| you | smatter |
| they | smatter |
Perfect
| I | have smattered |
| you | have smattered |
| he;she;it | have smattered |
| we | have smattered |
| you | have smattered |
| they | have smattered |
Imperfect
| I | smattered |
| you | smattered |
| he;she;it | smattered |
| we | smattered |
| you | smattered |
| they | smattered |
Pluperfect
| I | had smattered |
| you | had smattered |
| he;she;it | had smattered |
| we | had smattered |
| you | had smattered |
| they | had smattered |
Conditional
Present
| I | would smatter |
| you | would smatter |
| he;she;it | would smatter |
| we | would smatter |
| you | would smatter |
| they | would smatter |
Perfect
| I | would have smattered |
| you | would have smattered |
| he;she;it | would have smattered |
| we | would have smattered |
| you | would have smattered |
| they | would have smattered |
Imperative
| you | smatter |
| we | Let's smatter |
| you | smatter |
Verbs conjugated like 'smatter'
abandon,
abduct,
abear,
aberr,
abject,
abord,
abort,
abound,
abraid,
abray,
abrook,
abscind,
abscond,
absist,
absorb,
abstain,
abstract,
accend,
accent,
accept, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)
Verbs similar to 'smatter'
matter,
scatter,
shatter,
slatter,
spatter,
swatter,
atter,
batter,
blatter,
chatter,
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
- to talk too much; to talk idly
- babble, bat the breeze, blab, blabber, blather, chat, chatter, chew the fat, chew the rag, chinwag, chit-chat, chunner, clack, claver, clepe, drivel, gabble, gibber, go on, jabber, maunder, natter, palaver, piffle, prate, prattle, rabbit, rabbit on, ramble, shoot the breeze, shoot the bull, shoot the shit, tattle, twaddle, waffle, wibble, witter, yabber, yack, yap, yatter
Additional Information
Phrasal Verbs
Etymology
1. 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:
2. * 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”).
3. * 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”.
4. The noun is derived from the verb. See: English '
smot', Middle High German '
smotzen', German, old spelling '
schmutzen', Danish '
smadre', German, old spelling '
schmettern', Norwegian '
smadre', Swedish '
smattra'.
Verbs referencing "smatter"
German, old spelling
schmettern.
Sample Sentences
-
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:]
-
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:]
-
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:]
-
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:]
-
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:]
-
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:]
-
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:]
-
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:]
-
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:]
-
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:]
-
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:]
-
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:]