blather

American  

[blath-er] / ˈblæð ər /

Also blether

noun

1. foolish, voluble talk.

   His speech was full of the most amazing blather.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. Also blither to talk or utter foolishly; babble.

   The poor thing blathered for hours about the intricacies of his psyche.

blather British  

/ ˈblæðə /

verb

1. (intr) to speak foolishly

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noun

1. foolish talk; nonsense

2. a person who blathers

Other Word Forms

• blatherer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of blather

From Middle English; Old Norse blathra “to chatter, blabber”

Explanation

To blather is to talk on and on without saying anything very important or wise. If you blather all afternoon, it might be a welcome distraction to your friend who's grieving the death of her cat. You can use the word blather as a noun too: you might hate riding the bus home from school because of all the silly blather around you. At a job, it might be acceptable to blather during your lunch break, but not once you get back to work. The verb came first, and it was originally Scottish, probably from the Old Norse word blaðra, "mutter or wag the tongue."

Example Sentences

So, clearly, we need to rewrite the definition for a new entry in the Webster’s Unabridged Sports Announcer Blather Dictionary.

From New York Times • Sep. 27, 2010

Blather on how to be absolutely fascinating, although young.

From Time Magazine Archive

Hip and Blather skitzen for the good and honorable Mayor, who always loves the people!'

From Fiddles 1909 by Smith, Francis Hopkinson

Related Words

• babble
• chatter
• nonsense