twitter

From Middle English twitren, twiteren, from Old English *twiterian, from Proto-West Germanic *twitwiʀōn, from Proto-Germanic *twitwizōną (“to chirp; twitter”). Cognate with Low German twitteren (“to twitter”), German zwitzern, zwitschern (“to twitter”). Compare also Dutch kwetteren (“to twitter”), Danish kvidre (“to twitter”), Swedish kvittra (“to twitter”), dialectal Swedish tittra (“to twitter”).

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: twĭt'ər, IPA^(key): /ˈtwɪt.ə(ɹ)/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• (General American) enPR: twĭt'ər, IPA^(key): /ˈtwɪt.ɚ/, /ˈtwɪt̬.ɚ/, [ˈtʰwɪɾ.ɚ]
• Rhymes: -ɪtə(ɹ)

twitter (countable and uncountable, plural twitters)

1. The sound of a succession of chirps as uttered by birds.

   I often listen to the twitter of the birds in the park.

2. (countable) A tremulous broken sound.
3. A slight trembling of the nerves.
4. Unwanted flicker that occurs in interlaced displays when the image contains vertical detail that approaches the horizontal resolution of the video format.
   • 1986, Second International Conference on Simulators: 7-11 September 1986, IEEE, page 145:

     Interline twitter occurs on interlaced displays at half the field-rate.

twitter (third-person singular simple present twitters, present participle twittering, simple past and past participle twittered)

1. (intransitive) To utter a succession of chirps.
   • 1750, Thomas Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”, in The Works of Thomas Gray, volume I, published 1825, page 114:

     The breezy call of incense-breathing Morn, / The swallow twittering from the straw-built shed,

   • 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 278:

     The swallows, which had been tempted here in great numbers on account of the quantity of insects to be found in proximity to the wood, and had established themselves in the barn and under the eaves, were gambolling, circling, and twittering fearlessly about in the sunshine.

2. (intransitive, transitive) (of a person) To talk in an excited or nervous manner.
3. To make the sound of a half-suppressed laugh; to titter; to giggle.
   • c. 1616–1619 (first performance), John Fletcher, “The Loyal Svbiect”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     Oh, the young handsom wenches, how they twitter'd,
     When they but saw me shake my ware, and sing too!

4. To have a slight trembling of the nerves; to be excited or agitated.
5. (obsolete, transitive) To twit; to reproach or upbraid.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

     I have repented of it many’s the good time and oft. And if he was so good to forgive me a word spoken in haste or so, it doth not become such a one as you to twitter me. He was a husband to me, he was; and if ever I did make use of an ill word or so in a passion, I never called him rascal […]

6. Alternative form of Twitter
   • 2009 March 2, Michelle Levi, “McCain Criticizes Obama On The Senate Floor”, in CBS News‎, retrieved 2 March 2009:

     In addition to listing specific earmarks he finds the most reprehensible, McCain said he has been twittering the “top ten” most egregious

7. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (intransitive) To move like a songbird.

   A blue jay twittered by me.

• (internet neologism): tweet

• atwitter
• twitterpated

• tweeter

From English Twitter.

• IPA^(key): /twi.te/

• Audio

  (file)

twitter

1. (transitive, intransitive, Internet) to tweet (to post to Twitter)

• twit (a tweet (a message on Twitter))
• tweet (a tweet (a message on Twitter))
• twittosphère
• twitteur