rattle
Definitions
General English
- verb to make a repeated noise like two pieces of wood hitting each other
Food
Medical
- noun a harsh noise made in the throat, caused by a blockage to breathing and heard especially near death
Publishing
- noun the noise made by paper when it is handled, giving an indication of its stiffness
Origin & History of “rattle”
Rattle probably existed in Old
English, but in the absence of any
direct evidence, it is usually suggested
that the
word was borrowed
from middle Low German
rattelen, a relative of German
rasseln ‘rattle’. Whatever its ultimate
source, it no
doubt originally imitated the
sound of rattling.
