pattering

verb

1. (form-of, gerund, participle, present)present participle and gerund of patter

noun

1. Groupings of frequent irregularly repeated sounds of moderate magnitude and lower-than-average pitch.

   “Travellers over the London & North Western main line in bygone days will need no reminder of the pattering of cinders on the carriage roofs, the fountains of sparks from the chimneys at night and the distance from which the exhaust of approaching locomotives could be heard, due to the fierceness of their blast in such conditions.”