rattle

rattle

(răt′l)

n.

1. A rapid succession of short percussive sounds.

2. A device, such as a baby's toy, that produces short percussive sounds.

3. A rattling sound in the throat caused by obstructed breathing, especially near the time of death.

4. The series of horny structures at the end of a rattlesnake's tail.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

rattle

Ethnomedicine
A device used in the Navajo and other Native American tribes to maintain rhythm during healing rituals.

Forensics
See Death rattle.
 
Paediatrics
An infant toy which, when shaken produces a rattling noise.

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

rattle

(răt′l) [ME. ratelen, to rattle]

A coarse crackle heard during auscultation of the chest. This finding suggests excessive airway secretions are present.

death rattle

A colloquial term for gurgling noises caused by movements of secretions in the upper airways with inspiration and expiration in dying patients.

Medical Dictionary, © 2009 Farlex and Partners