Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tattle” come from?

Tattle comes from Middle Dutch tatelen, meaning to chatter or babble.

tattle (English): To chatter; to gossip; "Often said of children":...

Definitions

  1. To chatter; to gossip; "Often said of children":...

Ancestry of “tattle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchtatelen—

Words derived from “tattle”

  • tattler
  • tattletale
  • tittle-tattle
  • tattlesome
Every word from Middle Dutch tatelen →