gibber

[jib-er, gib-]

verb (used without object)

1. to speak inarticulately or meaninglessly.

2. to speak foolishly; chatter.

noun

1. gibbering utterance.

gibber

¹

/ ˈdʒɪbə /

verb

1. to utter rapidly and unintelligibly; prattle

2. (intr) (of monkeys and related animals) to make characteristic chattering sounds

noun

1. a less common word for gibberish

gibber

²

/ ˈɡɪbə /

noun

1. a stone or boulder

2. (modifier) of or relating to a dry flat area of land covered with wind-polished stones

   gibber plains

Word History and Origins

Origin of gibber¹

1595–1605; origin uncertain; perhaps frequentative of gib (obsolete) to caterwaul ( gib ² ); sense and pronunciation influenced by association with jabber

Word History and Origins

Origin of gibber¹

C17: of imitative origin

Origin of gibber²

C19: from a native Australian language

Example Sentences

The host, who was 18 when she joined the BBC kids' TV show, said she was "pushed to the limit" by behaviour that left her a "shaking, gibbering wreck."

Read more on BBC

Henry—imagining, perhaps, some trembling Kassandra gibbering prophecies to a chorus of policemen—was far more concerned about the psychic.

Read more on Literature

While I was a gibbering mess, Ellen was stunned into a weird, calm silence.

Read more on BBC

Won’t I look upon the smoldering ashes of that closet and wish that I’d organized it, or at least enjoyed it, rather than merely gibbering in it?

Read more on Washington Post

Another time, I had to rescue the late, great NME writer Steven Wells from the site, as he started gibbering like a hallucinating Vietnam war veteran.

Read more on The Guardian