rabble

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹæbəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æbəl

Etymology 1

First attested since 1300s, from Middle English rablen (“to ramble; rave; speak in a confused manner”), cognate with Middle Dutch rabbelen (“to talk; chatter; trifle”), Low German rabbeln, robbeln (“to chatter; prattle”).

Alternative forms

• ravel

Verb

rabble (third-person singular simple present rabbles, present participle rabbling, simple past and past participle rabbled)

1. (intransitive) To speak in a confused manner; talk incoherently; utter nonsense
2. (transitive) To speak confusedly or incoherently; gabble or chatter out

Etymology 2

From Middle English rabel, probably from the verb (see above).

Noun

rabble (plural rabbles)

1. (obsolete) A bewildered or meaningless string of words.
2. (obsolete) A pack of animals; or any confused collection of things.
3. A mob; a disorderly crowd. [from late 14^th c.]
4. (derogatory) The mass of common people; the lowest class of populace. [from 1550s]

   Synonyms: plebs, riffraff; see also Thesaurus:commonalty

   • 1682, [Nahum Tate; John Dryden], The Second Part of Absalom and Achitophel. A Poem. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 5:

     Such practices as Theſe, too groſs to lye / Long unobſerv'd by each diſcerning Eye, / The more judicious Iſraelites Unſpell'd, / Though ſtill the Charm the giddy Rabble held, [...]

Derived terms

• rabble rouser
• rabblesome
• ribble-rabble

Translations

a disorderly crowd

• Bulgarian: тълпа (bg) f (tǎlpa)
• Finnish: väkijoukko (fi), ihmisjoukko (fi)
• French: cohue (fr) f, foule (fr) f
• Greek: όχλος (el) m (óchlos), σκυλολόι (el) n (skylolói) (colloquial)
• Hungarian: tömeg (hu)
• Japanese: 烏合の衆 (ja) (うごうのしゅう, ugō no shū), 有象無象 (ja) (uzou muzou)
• Kikuyu: gĩcanjama class 7
• Lithuanian: gaujà f
• Polish: hołota (pl) f, motłoch (pl) m, hałastra (pl) f
• Russian: толпа́ (ru) f (tolpá), сброд (ru) m (sbrod), чернь (ru) f (černʹ), бы́дло (ru) n (býdlo)
• Spanish: turba (es) f

the mass of common people; the lowest class of people

• Bulgarian: простолюдие (bg) n (prostoljudie)
• Catalan: gentalla (ca) f, gentola (ca) f
• Finnish: rahvas (fi)
• French: populace (fr) f (the commoners), racaille (fr) f, plèbe (fr) f
• Galician: xentalla f, chusma (gl) f, xente bafúa f
• German: Pöbel (de) m
• Greek: αληταρία (el) f (alitaría)

  Ancient: σύρφαξ m (súrphax), συρφετός m (surphetós)

• Hungarian: csőcselék (hu), csürhe (hu), söpredék (hu)
• Ido: raskalaro (io)
• Italian: gentaglia (it) f
• Korean: 떨거지 (tteolgeoji)
• Latin: popellus m
• Lithuanian: pãdugnės f pl
• Macedonian: раја f (raja)
• Polish: bydło (pl) n, męty pl
• Portuguese: gentalha (pt) f, ralé (pt) f, malta (pt) f
• Russian: сброд (ru) m (sbrod), чернь (ru) f (černʹ), бы́дло (ru) n (býdlo) толпа́ (ru) f (tolpá), простонаро́дье (ru) n (prostonaródʹje)
• Spanish: gentuza (es) f, gentualla f, chusma (es), gleba f, patulea f, gentecilla f, populacho (es) m, plebe (es) f
• Swedish: pöbel (sv) c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 廢物／废物 (zh) (fèiwù), 烏合之眾／乌合之众 (zh) (wūhézhlzhòng)

• Dutch: meute (nl) f, meutes (nl) f pl, menigte (nl) f, menigten (nl) f pl, gepeupel (nl) n, volk (nl) n
• Greek: όχλος (el) m (óchlos) (óchlos)
• Hebrew: ערב רב (eirev rav)
• Japanese: 群衆 (ja) (ぐんしゅう, gunshū), 暴徒 (ja) (ぼうと, bōto) (mob)
• Scottish Gaelic: gràisg f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: о̏лош m, руља f

  Roman: ȍloš (sh) m, rulja (sh) f

• Turkish: ayaktakımı (tr)
• Volapük: lupöp (vo)

Etymology 3

From Old French roable (modern French râble), from Latin rutabulum (“a poker”).

Noun

rabble (plural rabbles)

1. An iron bar used in puddling.

Verb

rabble (third-person singular simple present rabbles, present participle rabbling, simple past and past participle rabbled)

1. (transitive) To stir with a rabble.

Derived terms

• rabbler

Further reading

• “rabble”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “rabble”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “rabble”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Babler, barbel, barble