burble

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English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English burblen (to bubble), imitative.

Noun

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burble (plural burbles)

  1. A bubbling, gurgling sound, as of a creek.
    • 1988, Bruce Chatwin, Utz, London: Jonathan Cape, →ISBN; republished London: Vintage Books, 2005, →ISBN, page 50:
      Marta's gander was a magnificent snow-white bird: the object of terror to foxes, children and dogs. She had reared him as a gosling; and whenever he approached, he would let fly a low contented burble and sidle his neck around her thighs.
  2. A gush of rapid speech.
  3. The turbulent boundary layer about a moving streamlined body.
Translations
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Verb

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burble (third-person singular simple present burbles, present participle burbling, simple past and past participle burbled)

  1. (intransitive) To bubble; to gurgle.
  2. To babble; to speak in an excited rush.
    She burbled on, as if I cared to listen.
    • 1980 August 16, Andrea Loewenstein, “Random Lust”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 5, page 19:
      "No, Jo, it wasn't one bit crowded, there was room enought [sic] for everyone," she burbled on. "And we were there, and all these other wymeen too, of all shapes, sizes, and colors..."
    • 1995 December 21, Tony Chamberlain, “We all love snow games: Some take time to play; others seize chance to panic”, in The Boston Globe, volume 248, number 174, Boston, Mass., page 91:
      “No way this one’s going to miss us this time,” burbles one bebooted doomsdayer to another.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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Scottish; probably connected Old French barbouiller (to confound).

Noun

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burble

  1. Trouble; disorder.

Verb

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burble (third-person singular simple present burbles, present participle burbling, simple past and past participle burbled)

  1. (transitive) To trouble or confuse.

References

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  • (etymology 1) American Heritage Dictionary.

Anagrams

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