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prattle

[prat-l]
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verb (used without object), prat·tled, prat·tling.
  1. to talk in a foolish or simple-minded way; chatter; babble.
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verb (used with object), prat·tled, prat·tling.
  1. to utter by chattering or babbling.
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noun
  1. the act of prattling.
  2. chatter; babble: the prattle of children.
  3. a babbling sound: the prattle of water rushing over stones.
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Origin of prattle

1525–35; < Middle Low German pratelen to chatter, frequentative of praten to prate; see -le
Related formsprat·tler, nounprat·tling·ly, adverb

Synonyms

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1. gab, jabber, gabble, blab.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

rantingjargonblubberingjabberburbledrivelmurmurgossipgibberishgabblechattergabtwaddlejabbering

Examples from the Web for prattle

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • You know how readily we get into prattle upon a subject dear to our heart: you can excuse it.

  • As for all the prattle about pre-Raphaelitism, I confess to you I am weary of it, and long have been.

  • The boy had pattered French with the former since he had first begun to prattle at all.

  • He listened to people's talk as though it had been children's prattle.

    Romance

    Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer

  • Her prattle seeped in and he became aware of it and what she was saying.

    Life Sentence

    James McConnell

British Dictionary definitions for prattle

prattle

verb
  1. (intr) to talk in a foolish or childish way; babble
  2. (tr) to utter in a foolish or childish way
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noun
  1. foolish or childish talk
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Derived Formsprattler, nounprattlingly, adverb

Word Origin

C16: from Middle Low German pratelen to chatter; see prate
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for prattle

v.

1530s, frequentative of prate (q.v.). Related: Prattled; prattling. The noun is attested from 1550s.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper