rabble
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English
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]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
[edit]Verb
[edit]rabble (third-person singular simple present rabbles, present participle rabbling, simple past and past participle rabbled)
- (intransitive) To speak in a confused manner; talk incoherently; utter nonsense
- (transitive) To speak confusedly or incoherently; gabble or chatter out
Etymology 2
[edit]From Middle English rabel, probably from the verb (see above).
Noun
[edit]rabble (plural rabbles)
- (obsolete) A bewildered or meaningless string of words.
- (obsolete) A pack of animals; or any confused collection of things.
- A mob; a disorderly crowd. [from late 14th c.]
- (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
[edit]- rabble rouser
- rabblesome
- ribble-rabble
Translations
[edit]a disorderly crowd
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the mass of common people; the lowest class of people
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- 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
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Etymology 3
[edit]From Old French roable (modern French râble), from Latin rutabulum (“a poker”).
Noun
[edit]rabble (plural rabbles)
Verb
[edit]rabble (third-person singular simple present rabbles, present participle rabbling, simple past and past participle rabbled)
- (transitive) To stir with a rabble.
Derived terms
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- “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
[edit]Categories:
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/æbəl
- Rhymes:English/æbəl/2 syllables
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English derogatory terms
- English terms with quotations
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English collective nouns
- en:Collectives
- en:People