chittering

English

Etymology 1

Verb

chittering

1. present participle and gerund of chitter

Etymology 2

From Middle English chitering, chiterynge, equivalent to chitter +‎ -ing.

Noun

chittering (plural chitterings)

1. The sound of a chitter.
   • 1870, Shirley Hibberd, Rustic Adornments for Homes of Taste, page 170:

     Another bird quickly learned to imitate the song of a canary that was mated with it, but as the parrakeet improved in the performance the canary degenerated, and came at last to mingle the other bird's harsh chitterings with its own proper music.