chitter

/ˈtʃɪtə/

Etymology

From Middle English chiteren, chitren, cheteren. Ultimately onomatopoeic; compare didder and teeter as well as German zittern.

verb

  1. To make a series of high-pitched sounds; to twitter, chirp or chatter.“It was a beautifully sunny day and beetles could be heard chittering loudly in the rose garden by the side of the path made out of antique bricks.”
  2. To shiver or chatter with cold.“Whare wilt thou cower thy chittering wing, / An' close thy e'e?”