Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “chitchat” come from?

Chitchat comes from English chat, which derives from English chatter, ultimately tracing back through English chat and chatter in a reduplicative pattern of onomatopoetic origin.

chitchat (English): Alternative spelling of chit-chat

Definitions

  1. Alternative spelling of chit-chat

Ancestry of “chitchat”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishchit-chatLight conversation; casual talk, usually about...
2EnglishchatTo be engaged in informal conversation; To talk...
3EnglishchatterTalk, especially meaningless or unimportant talk;...
4English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
5Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
6Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
7Latin-āre—
8Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
9Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
10Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
12Chichewaiyehe, she
Every word from Chichewa iye →