babble

English

WOTD – 17 February 2010

Etymology

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 *bʰā- (“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

• IPA^(key): /ˈbæb.l̩/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æbəl

Verb

1. (intransitive) To utter words indistinctly or unintelligibly; to utter inarticulate sounds

   The men were babbling, so we couldn't make sense of anything.

2. (intransitive) To talk incoherently; to utter meaningless words.
3. (intransitive) To talk too much; to chatter; to prattle.
4. (intransitive) To make a continuous murmuring noise, like shallow water running over stones.
   • William Wordsworth

     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.

5. (transitive) To utter in an indistinct or incoherent way; to repeat words or sounds in a childish way without understanding.
   • John Arbuthnot

     These words he used to babble in all companies.

6. (transitive) To reveal; to give away (a secret).

Translations

to utter words indistinctly

• Asturian: afalucar
• Bulgarian: бръщолевя (bg) (brǎštolevja)
• Danish: pludre, mumle (da)
• Dutch: brabbelen (nl)
• Finnish: jokeltaa (fi)
• French: marmonner (fr), marmotter (fr), jargonner (fr)
• German: brabbeln (de), murmeln (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: θρυλέω (thruléō)

• Hindi: बकना (hi) (baknā)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: babla, masa, þvæla, mala (is), blaðra
• Interlingue:
• Korean: 옹알거리다 (ko) (ong-al georida), 중얼거리다 (ko) (jung-eol georida)
• Latin: blaterō
• Latvian: murmināt
• Maori: nanunanu, whakahāhā, kohe
• Norwegian: bable (no)
• Polish: gaworzyć (pl)
• Portuguese: balbuciar (pt)
• Russian: бормота́ть (ru) (bormotátʹ), лепета́ть (ru) (lepetátʹ)
• Spanish: mascullar (es), farfullar (es)

to talk incoherently

• Danish: vrøvle, bavle
• Finnish: höpöttää (fi)
• Greek:

  Ancient: φλυαρέω (phluaréō)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: blaterō
• Latvian: vāvuļot
• Maori: nanunanu, whakahāhā

to talk much

• Asturian: bilordiar
• 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),
• 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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: chiacchierare (it), ciarlare (it)
• Korean: 재잘거리다 (ko) (jaejal georida)
• Latvian: pļāpāt
• Maori: kapekapetau, kapetau
• Norwegian: bable (no), plapre
• Polish: paplać (pl)
• Portuguese: balbuciar (pt)
• Russian: болта́ть (ru) (boltátʹ), трепа́ться (ru) (trepátʹsja)
• Spanish: charlar (es), charlatanear (es), chacharear (es), charlotear (es), parlotear (es)

to make a continuous murmuring noise

• Bulgarian: ромоля (bg) (romolja)
• Danish: mumle (da)
• Dutch: kabbelen (nl)
• Finnish: solista (fi)
• French: babiller (fr), murmurer (fr), susurrer (fr)
• German: plätschern (de), gurgeln (de)
• Hungarian: csobog (hu)
• Icelandic: niða, hjala
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: cicalare (it)
• Korean: 옹알거리다 (ko) (ong-al georida), 중얼거리다 (ko) (jung-eol georida)
• Latvian: murmulēt, murmuļot, murmināt
• Polish: szemrać (pl)
• Portuguese: murmurar (pt)
• Russian: журча́ть (ru) (žurčátʹ)
• Spanish: murmurar (es), susurrar (es)

to utter in an indistinct or incoherent way

• Danish: vrøvle
• Finnish: höpöttää (fi), höpistä (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: whakahāhā

to disclose by too free talk

• Danish: røbe
• Finnish: laverrella, lörpötellä (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latvian: izpļāpāties

Noun

babble (uncountable)

1. Idle talk; senseless prattle

   Synonyms: gabble, twaddle

   • 1634, John Milton, Comus, a Mask, line 823:

     This is mere moral babble.

2. Inarticulate speech; constant or confused murmur.
   • Charles Darwin

     The babble of our young children.

3. A sound like that of water gently flowing around obstructions.
   • Alfred Tennyson

     The babble of the stream.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:chatter

Hyponyms

• astrobabble
• bizbabble
• econobabble
• edu-babble
• neurobabble
• psychobabble
• sociobabble
• technobabble

 

Translations

idle talk

• Asturian: bilordiu m
• Bulgarian: бърборене (bg) (bǎrborene)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 廢話／废话 (zh) (fèihuà), 废话 (zh) (fèihuà), 閑話／闲话 (zh) (xiánhuà), 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Geplapper (de) n
• Icelandic: babl n, óskýrt tal n, heimskulegt þvaður n, mas n
• Interlingue:
• Italian: ciancia (it)
• Persian: دراییدن (fa) (darâyidan), یاوه گفتن (yâve goftan)
• Polish: bełkot (pl) m, paplanie (pl) n
• Portuguese: balbuciação (pt) f
• Russian: болтовня́ (ru) f (boltovnjá), трёп (ru) m (trjop)
• Spanish: charla (es) f, parloteo (es) m
• Swedish: babbel (sv), pladder (sv)
• Yiddish: פּלוידערײַ f or n (ployderay)

inarticulate speech

• Bulgarian: бръщолевене (bg) (brǎštolevene)
• Danish: mumlen c, pludren c
• Dutch: brabbelen (nl), murmelen (nl)
• Finnish: pulina (fi)
• French: jargon (fr) m, charabia (fr) m, galimatias (fr) m
• Georgian: ლუღლუღი (luɣluɣi), ბუტბუტი (buṭbuṭi)
• German: Brabbeln n, Murmeln (de) n
• Icelandic: babl n, óskýrt tal n, heimskulegt þvaður n, mas n
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: balbettio
• Persian: نارسا گویی (nârasâ guyi)
• Polish: gwar (pl) m, gaworzenie (pl) n
• Portuguese: balbuciação (pt) f
• Russian: бормота́ние (ru) f (bormotánije), ле́пет (ru) m (lépet) (of children)
• Spanish: jerigonza f, balbuceo (es) m
• Swedish: babbel (sv)

the sound of flowing water

• Bulgarian: ромон (bg) (romon), ромолене (bg) (romolene)
• Danish: pludren c
• Finnish: solina (fi)
• French: babil (fr) m, murmure (fr) m
• Hungarian: csobogás (hu)
• Icelandic: niður (is) m, vatnsniður m
• Italian: gorgoglio (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: hīwawā
• Polish: szmer (pl) m
• Portuguese: murmúrio (pt) m
• Russian: журча́ние (ru) n (žurčánije)
• Spanish: gorjeo (es) m
• Vietnamese: lao xao (vi)

See also

• babblement
• babblery

References

• “babble”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

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German

Verb

babble

1. (deprecated template usage) First-person singular present of babbeln.
2. (deprecated template usage) First-person singular subjunctive I of babbeln.
3. (deprecated template usage) Third-person singular subjunctive I of babbeln.
4. (deprecated template usage) Imperative singular of babbeln.