Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
BLABBER, Blaber, Bleber, v., n.
1. v. To speak indistinctly; to babble. Given in E.D.D. Suppl. (1905) for Cai. and by Watson in W.-B. (1923) for Rxb., both with form blabber. Now obs. in St.Eng. Eng. blabber, n., from the v. blab, means a tale-bearer.Sc. 1808 Jam.:
Blabber, Blaber, Bleber. To babble, to speak indistinctly.Sc. 1904 Lord Ingram and Chiel Wyet in Ballads (ed. Child) No. 66B xxi.:
There was nae mean made for that lady, In bowr whar she lay dead, But a' was for the bonnie babe That lay blabbering in her bleed.Dmb. 1931 A. J. Cronin Hatter's Castle 60:
Get ahead wi' it now and don't blabber so much.
2. n. “Idle or foolish talk” (Cai.3 1936).
[Cf. O.Sc. blab(b)er, to babble, Dan. blabbre. Earliest quot. in D.O.S.T. Wyntoun (c.1420). The earliest appearance of blabber in Mid.Eng. is 1362 in Piers Plowman, antedating Chaucer's blabbe, c.1374, of which, therefore, it is prob. not a derivative.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Blabber v., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 20 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/blabber_v_n>
