Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “babbling” come from?

Babbling derives from Middle English babelen, Old English bæblian and wæflian, Proto-Germanic bablōną and babalōną, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European bʰa-bʰa- and bʰā-, an expressive root likely imitating repetitive sounds.

babbling (English): a stage in child language acquisition, during...

Definitions

  1. a stage in child language acquisition, during...

Ancestry of “babbling”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
2Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
3Old English-tūn—
4Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
5Proto-West Germanictūnfence
6Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
7Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “babbling”

  • babblingly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →