English [ edit ]
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Etymology [ edit ]
From Middle English babelen , from Old English *bæblian , also wæflian ( “ to talk foolishly ” ) , from Proto-West Germanic *bablōn , *wablōn , variants of *babalōn , from Proto-Germanic *babalōną ( “ to chatter ” ) , from Proto-Indo-European *bʰa-bʰa- , perhaps a reduplication of Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ( “ to say ” ) , or a variant of Proto-Indo-European *baba- ( “ to talk vaguely, mumble ” ) , or a merger of the two, possibly ultimately onomatopoeic /mimicry of infantile sounds (compare babe , baby ).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian babbelje ( “ to babble ” ) , West Frisian babbelje ( “ to babble ” ) , Dutch babbelen ( “ to babble, chat ” ) , German Low German babbeln ( “ to babble ” ) , German babbeln ( “ to babble ” ) , Danish bable , bavle ( “ to babble ” ) , Swedish babbla ( “ to babble ” ) , Icelandic babla ( “ to babble ” ) . Unrelated to Babel .
Pronunciation [ edit ]
babble (third-person singular simple present babbles , present participle babbling , simple past and past participle babbled )
( intransitive ) To utter words indistinctly or unintelligibly; to utter inarticulate sounds
The men were babbling , so we couldn't make sense of anything.
( intransitive ) To talk incoherently ; to utter meaningless words.
( intransitive ) To talk too much; to chatter ; to prattle .
( intransitive ) To make a continuous murmuring noise, like shallow water running over stones.
Hounds are said to babble, or to be babbling, when they are too noisy after having found a good scent.
( transitive ) To utter in an indistinct or incoherent way; to repeat words or sounds in a childish way without understanding.
These [words] he used to babble indifferently in all companies.
( transitive ) To reveal ; to give away (a secret).
Translations [ edit ]
to utter words indistinctly
to talk much
Asturian: bilordiar
Azerbaijani: çərənləmək
Bulgarian: бърборя (bg) ( bǎrborja )
Danish: sludre , plapre , vrøvle , ævle
Dutch: kletsen (nl) , babbelen (nl)
Finnish: pulista (fi) , lörpötellä (fi)
French: bavarder (fr) , papoter (fr) , caqueter (fr) , jaboter (fr) , jacasser (fr) ,
Galician: barballar (gl) , esbardallar (gl) , laretar (gl) , parolar (gl)
German: schwätzen (de) , plappern (de) , babbeln (de)
Greek: κελαηδώ (el) ( kelaïdó )
Ancient: θρυλέω ( thruléō ) , λαλέω ( laléō )
Icelandic: babla , masa , þvæla , vera með heimskuhjal , tala of mikið , mala (is) , blaðra , kjafta frá , fleipra út úr sér
to make a continuous murmuring noise
to utter in an indistinct or incoherent way
to disclose by too free talk
babble (usually uncountable , plural babbles )
Idle talk; senseless prattle
Synonyms: gabble , twaddle
1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton] , H[enry] Lawes , editor, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: [ … ] [Comus ], London: [ … ] [Augustine Matthews ] for Hvmphrey Robinson , [ … ] , published 1637, OCLC 228715864 ; reprinted as Comus: [ … ] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company , 1903, OCLC 1113942837 , line 823:This is mere moral babble .
Inarticulate speech ; constant or confused murmur .
1871 , Charles Darwin , “Comparison of the Mental Powers of Man and the Lower Animals”, in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. [ … ] , volume I, London: John Murray , [ … ] , OCLC 156113994 , Part I (On the Descent of Man), page 55 :[M]an has an instinctive tendency to speak, as we see in the babble of our young children; whilst no child has an instinctive tendency to brew, bake, or write.
A sound like that of water gently flowing around obstructions.
1832 December (indicated as 1833 ), Alfred Tennyson , “Mariana in the South”, in Poems , London: Edward Moxon , [ … ] , OCLC 3944791 , page 23 :[T]he babble of the stream / Fell, and without the steady glare / Shrank the sick olive sere and small.
Synonyms [ edit ]
Hyponyms [ edit ]
Translations [ edit ]
idle talk
Asturian: bilordiu m
Bulgarian: бърборене (bg) ( bǎrborene )
Chinese:
Mandarin: 廢話 (zh) , 废话 (zh) ( fèihuà ) , 閑話 (zh) , 闲话 (zh) ( xiánhuà )
Danish: pladder , bavl n
Dutch: prietpraat (nl) m
Finnish: pulina (fi) , lörpöttely (fi) , höpötys (fi)
French: babillage (fr) m , bavardage (fr) m
Georgian: ტიტინი ( ṭiṭini ) , ტიკტიკი ( ṭiḳṭiḳi ) , ბუტბუტი ( buṭbuṭi ) , ლუღლუღი ( luɣluɣi ) , ყბედობა ( q̇bedoba ) , ენის ტარტარი ( enis ṭarṭari )
the sound of flowing water
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
babble
inflection of babbeln :
first-person singular present
first / third-person singular subjunctive I
singular imperative