# jitter

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈd͡ʒɪtə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #54,870

## Definitions
1. A nervous action; a tic.
2. A state of nervousness.
3. An abrupt and unwanted variation of one or more signal characteristics.
4. A random positioning of data points to avoid visual overlap.

## Etymology
Possibly alteration of chitter (“to tremble, shiver”), from Middle English chittern (“to twitter, chatter”). Ultimately onomatopoeic; compare didder and teeter as well as German zittern.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/jitter