Chat
/tʃæt/noun
To talk informally or exchange messages in real time.
Did you know?Modern English chat comes from a word family tied to rapid, noisy speech, and its deeper history is connected to the same ancient root that gave English words for “jaw” and “chew.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*g̑eh₂-
“to gape, yawn, or open the mouth”
Old English
OE
ceace
“jaw, cheek”
Middle English
ME
chatten
“to chatter, talk idly”
16th Century
English
chat
“light conversation; idle talk”
Modern English
English
chat
“informal conversation, especially online messaging”