chutter

English

Etymology

Imitative.

Noun

chutter (plural chutters)

  1. An alarm call used by vervets to warn of the presence of a snake.
    • 1985, Alison Jolly, The Evolution of Primate Behavior, page 75:
      Vervet monkeys have several different sorts of call, including "leopard alarm barks," "eagle rraups," and "snake chutters" (Struhsaker, 1967).
    • 1995, Stanisław Puppel, The Biology of Language, page 3:
      The vervet's main claim to fame, however, lies in its alarm calls, in which it distinguishes between different types of predator: a chutter warns of the presence of a snake; a rraup is uttered when an eagle is spotted; a chirp is used for lions […]

Verb

chutter (third-person singular simple present chutters, present participle chuttering, simple past and past participle chuttered)

  1. To make an alarm call of this kind.

Anagrams
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