Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “jabber” come from?

Jabber derives from English jab with the agent suffix -er, tracing back through Old French -er, Latin -āre (infinitive marker), Latin -ārius (agent noun suffix), and Proto-Italic -os.

jabber (English): To talk rapidly, indistinctly, or unintelligibly;...

Definitions

  1. To talk rapidly, indistinctly, or unintelligibly;...

Ancestry of “jabber”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
2Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
3Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
4Latin-āre—
5Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
6Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
7Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
9Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “jabber”

  • jabberer
  • jabbery
  • jabberment
  • jibber-jabber
  • jabberfest
Every word from Chichewa iye →