Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “babble” come from?

Babble comes from Middle English babelen, from Old English bæblian and wæflian, from Proto-Germanic bablōną and babalōną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰa-bʰa- and bʰā-.

babble (English): To utter words indistinctly or unintelligibly; to...

Definitions

  1. To utter words indistinctly or unintelligibly; to...

Ancestry of “babble”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbabelen—
2Old Englishbæblian—
3Old Englishwæflianto talk or speak foolishly
4Proto-Germanicbablōną—
5Proto-Germanicbabalōnąto chatter, babble
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰa-bʰa-—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰā-to say

Words derived from “babble”

  • babbling
  • babbler
  • psychobabble
  • babblement
  • technobabble
  • babblingly
  • babbleth
  • babbly
  • psychobabbling
  • psychobabbler
  • Eurobabble
  • cyberbabble
  • sociobabble
  • outbabble
  • bizbabble
  • bibble-babble
  • econobabble
  • niggerbabble
  • ecobabble
  • babblesome
  • babblery
  • neurobabble
  • astrobabble
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰā- →