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The act or habit of talking idly or rapidly, or of making inarticulate sounds; the sounds so made; noise made by the collision of the teeth; chatter.

An official diviner who foretold events by the singing, chattering, flight, and feeding of birds, or by signs or omens derived from celestial phenomena, certain appearances of quadrupeds, or unusual occurrences.

A name given to any one of family (Timalinæ) of thrushlike birds, having a chattering note.

, carelessly, or with undue rapidity; to jabber; to prate. To tame a shrew, and charm her chattering tongue. Shak.

The act or habit of chattering. [Colloq.]

Frivolous or nonsensical talk; prattle; chattering. [Scot. & North of Eng.] Emmy found herself entirely at a loss in the midst of their clavers. Thackeray.

The chattering, or garrulous, honey eater of Australia (Myzantha garrula). Miner's elbow (Med.), a swelling on the black of the elbow due to inflammation of the bursa over the olecranon; -- so called because of frequent occurrence in miners. -- Miner's inch, in hydraulic mining, the amount of water flowing under a giv…

ot. (Zoöl.) See Kakapo. -- Parrot coal, cannel coal; -- so called from the crackling and chattering sound it makes in burning. [Eng. & Scot.] -- Parrot green. (Chem.) See Scheele's green, under Green, n. -- Parrot weed (Bot.), a suffrutescent plant (Bocconia frutescens) of the Poppy family, native of the warmer parts…

A trifling, chattering, fop or coxcomb. "To be so pestered with a popinjay." Shak.

; perpendicular; vertical, or nearly vertical; pointing upward; as, an upright tree. With chattering teeth, and bristling hair upright. Dryden. All have their ears upright. Spenser.