| 释义 |
bab·ble
I. \ˈbabəl\ verb
(babbled ; babbled ; babbling \-b(ə)liŋ\ ; babbles)
Etymology: Middle English babelen; probably of imitative origin like Middle English babe, babie baby, Low German babbeln to babble, Old Norse babba, Latin babulus babbler, Greek barbaros foreign, Late Greek babazein to speak inarticulately, Sanskrit balbalā stammering sound, barbara stammering
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to utter meaningless sounds as though talking
< a baby babbling in his crib >
b. : to talk foolishly : prattle
< babble about his responsibilities >
c. : to talk excessively : chatter
< babbling about their plans for the coming holidays — Mabel C. Widdemer >
2.
a. : to make sounds as though babbling
< the babbling of a mountain stream >
< birds babbling in the hedge >
b. of a hound : to bay before picking up the scent
transitive verb
1. : to utter in an incoherent, inane, or meaninglessly repetitious manner
< why did the red-haired man babble those excuses — Max Beerbohm >
2. : to reveal (as a secret) by talking too freely or thoughtlessly
< before we could stop him he had babbled our plans to the group >
II. noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English bable, from babelen
1. : foolish or idle talk : chatter, nonsense
< making babble at an afternoon tea >
2. : continuous meaningless vocal sounds
< the babble of a baby in the next room >
: a murmur or a continuity of confused sounds
< the babble of four or more voices going on at once — G.A.Miller >
< the babble of birds >
specifically : the unwanted disturbing sounds in a telephone circuit resulting from cross-talk interference from a large number of other active circuits |