RABBLE

mob, rabble, rout

(noun) a disorderly crowd of people

rabble, riffraff, ragtag, ragtag and bobtail

(noun) disparaging terms for the common people

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Verb

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

Noun

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.]

(contemptuous, derogatory) The mass of common people; the lowest class of populace. [from 1550s]

Synonyms

• plebs

• riffraff

Etymology 3

Noun

rabble (plural rabbles)

An iron bar used in puddling.

Verb

rabble (third-person singular simple present rabbles, present participle rabbling, simple past and past participle rabbled)

(transitive) To stir with a rabble.

Anagrams

• barbel, barble

Source: Wiktionary


Rab"ble (rab"b'l), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Iron Manuf.)

Definition: An iron bar, with the end bent, used in stirring or skimming molten iron in the process of puddling.

Rab"ble, a.

Definition: Of or pertaining to a rabble; like, or suited to, a rabble; disorderly; vulgar. [R.] Dryden.

Rab"ble, n. [Probably named from the noise made by it (see Rabble, v. i.); cf. D. rapalje rabble, OF. & Prov. F. rapaille.]

1. A tumultuous crowd of vulgar, noisy people; a mob; a confused, disorderly throng.

I saw, I say, come out of London, even unto the presence of the prince, a great rabble of mean and light persons. Ascham.

Jupiter, Mercury, Bacchus, Venus, Mars, and the whole rabble of licentious deities. Bp. Warburton.

2. A confused, incoherent discourse; a medley of voices; a chatter.

The rabble, the lowest class of people, without reference to an assembly; the dregs of the people. "The rabble call him "lord.'" Shak.

Rab"ble, v. i. [Akin to D. rabbelen, Prov. G. rabbeln, to prattle, to chatter: cf. L. rabula a brawling advocate, a pettifogger, fr. rabere to rave. Cf. Rage.]

Definition: To speak in a confused manner. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

Rab"ble, v. t.

Definition: To stir or skim with a rabble, as molten iron.

Rab"ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rabbled (-b'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Rabbling (-bling).]

1. To insult, or assault, by a mob; to mob; as, to rabble a curate. Macaulay.

The bishops' carriages were stopped and the prelates themselves rabbled on their way to the house. J. R. Green.

2. To utter glibly and incoherently; to mouth without intelligence. [Obs. or Scot.] Foxe.

3. To rumple; to crumple. [Scot.]

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

15 April 2025

DOOMED

(adjective) marked by or promising bad fortune; “their business venture was doomed from the start”; “an ill-fated business venture”; “an ill-starred romance”; “the unlucky prisoner was again put in irons”- W.H.Prescott


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Coffee Trivia

Contrary to popular belief, coffee beans are not technically beans. They are referred to as such because of their resemblance to legumes. A coffee bean is a seed of the Coffea plant and the source for coffee. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit, often referred to as a cherry. Just like ordinary cherries, the coffee fruit is also a so-called stone fruit.

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