babble
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English babelen, from Old English *bæblian, also wæflian (“to talk foolishly”), 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 onomatopoetic/mimicry of infantile sounds. Cognate with Old Frisian babbelje (“to babble”), Old Norse babbla (“to babble”) (Swedish babbla), Middle Low German babbelen (“to babble”), Dutch babbelen (“to babble, chat”), German pappeln and babbeln (“to babble”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[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.
- 1815, William Wordsworth, Extracts from Descriptive Sketches
- In every babbling brook he finds a friend.
- Hounds are said to babble, or to be babbling, when they are too noisy after having found a good scent.
- 1815, William Wordsworth, Extracts from Descriptive Sketches
- (transitive) To utter in an indistinct or incoherent way; to repeat words or sounds in a childish way without understanding.
- 1712, John Arbuthnot, The History of John Bull
- These [words] he used to babble indifferently in all companies.
- 1712, John Arbuthnot, The History of John Bull
- (transitive) To reveal; to give away (a secret).
Translations[edit]
to utter words indistinctly
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to talk incoherently
to talk much
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to make a continuous murmuring noise
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to utter in an indistinct or incoherent way
to disclose by too free talk
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Noun[edit]
babble (usually uncountable, plural babbles)
- Idle talk; senseless prattle
- 1634, John Milton, Comus, a Mask, line 823:
- This is mere moral babble.
- 1634, John Milton, Comus, a Mask, line 823:
- Inarticulate speech; constant or confused murmur.
- 1871, Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex
- The babble of our young children.
- 1871, Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex
- A sound like that of water gently flowing around obstructions.
- ?, Alfred Tennyson, Mariana
- The babble of the stream.
- ?, Alfred Tennyson, Mariana
Synonyms[edit]
- See also Thesaurus:chatter
Hyponyms[edit]
Translations[edit]
idle talk
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inarticulate speech
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the sound of flowing water
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- babble in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
German[edit]
Verb[edit]
babble
- inflection of babbeln:
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
- English transitive verbs
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English onomatopoeias
- en:Sounds
- en:Talking
- German non-lemma forms
- German verb forms