twitter

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtwɪtə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtwɪtɚ/, [ˈtwɪɾɚ]
• Rhymes: -ɪtə(ɹ)

Noun

twitter (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. Unwanted flicker that occurs in interlaced displays when the image contains vertical detail that approaches the horizontal resolution of the video format.
   • 1986, IEEE, Second International Conference on Simulators: 7-11 September 1986 (page 145)

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

Verb

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, 1825, The Works of Thomas Gray, Volume I, page 114,

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

2. (intransitive, transitive) (of a person) To talk in an excited or nervous manner.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter VII, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, London: A[ndrew] Millar, OCLC 928184292, book VIII:

     […] it doth not become such a one as you to twitter me.

   • 2008, Cherie Blair, Speaking for Myself the autobiography:

     "Tony will be so cross," I twittered as we crawled through the traffic. "He'll probably just go."

3. To make the sound of a half-suppressed laugh; to titter; to giggle.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of J. Fletcher to this entry?)

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, London: A[ndrew] Millar, OCLC 928184292:

     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

Alternative forms

• tweeter

Etymology

From English Twitter

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /twi.te/

Verb

twitter

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