gab

See also GAB

English

Etymology

From Middle English gabben, from Old English gabban (“to scoff, mock, delude, jest”) and Old Norse gabba (“to mock, make sport of”); both from Proto-Germanic *gabbanan (“to mock, jest”), from Proto-Indo-European *ghabh- (“to be split, be forked, gape”). Cognate with Scots gab (“to mock, prate”), North Frisian gabben (“to jest, sport”), Middle Dutch gabben (“to mock”), Middle Low German gabben (“to jest, have fun”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɡæb/
• Rhymes: -æb

Noun

gab (plural gabs)

1. idle chatter
2. mouth as gob

Usage notes

Gab in the sense "mouth as gob" was used to specifically describe the open-forked ends of rods controlling reversing early steam engines.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:talkative

Translations

Idle chatter

Dutch: geklets (nl), gebabbel (nl), gekakel (nl) Esperanto: parolemo (eo)

Finnish: pulina (fi), pälpätys (fi), löpinä (fi) Russian: болтовня (ru) (boltovnjá) f.

Derived terms

• gabby
• gift of the gab

Verb

gab (third-person singular simple present gabs, present participle gabbing, simple past and past participle gabbed)

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To jest; to tell lies in jest; exaggerate; lie.
2. (intransitive) To talk or chatter a lot, usually on trivial subjects.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To speak or tell falsely.

Translations

to talk or chatter a lot, usually on trivial subjects

Finnish: pulista (fi), pälpättää (fi)

Russian: болтать (ru) (boltát’)

Anagrams

• AGB
• bag
• BGA
• GBA

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Amanab

Noun

gab

1. a large dove

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Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse gap, verbal noun to gapa (“to gape”).

Noun

gab n. (singular definite gabet, plural indefinite gab)

1. mouth, jaws
2. yawn
3. gap

Inflection

    Inflection of gab

neuter gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative, dative and accusative	gab	gabet	gab	gabene
genitive	gabs	gabets	gabs	gabenes

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German

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɡaːp/

• Audio (Austria)

  (file)

Verb

gab

1. First-person singular preterite of geben.
2. Third-person singular preterite of geben.