I. |pid.ə(r)|pad.ə(r), -itə...atə- adverb (or adjective)
Etymology: imitative
: pit-a-pat
her heart went pitter-patter
II. noun
: a pattering sound : pit-a-pat
the pitter-patter of raindrops on a tin roof
III. intransitive verb
( pitter-pattered ; pitter-pattered ; pitter-pattering ; pitter-patters )
: to go pitter-patter : pit-a-pat
footsteps pitter-pattered down the hall