Etymograph

English

chat

Chat comes from English chatter, and goes back to Middle English cheteren.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cheteren1
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chateren1
  3. English1500–presentchatter1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1963chat1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English chat
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1963, Margery Allingham, Foreword: “Reg liked a chat about old times and we…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cheterenWiktionary, English chat
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chaterenWiktionary, English chat
  3. English1500–presentchatterWiktionary, English chat
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1963chatWiktionary, English chat. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1963, Margery Allingham, Foreword: “Reg liked a chat about old times and we…”

The story

The bird sense refers to the sound of its call.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

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Today it means

verb To be engaged in informal conversation.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “chat”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English cheteren / chat