rabble
1[ rab-uh l ]
/ ˈræb əl /
noun
a disorderly crowd; mob.
the rabble, the lower classes; the common people: The nobility held the rabble in complete contempt.
verb (used with object), rab·bled, rab·bling.
to beset as a rabble does; mob.
RELATED WORDS
gathering, horde, riot, proletariat, crowd, masses, throng, herd, riffraff, commonality, mass, gang, scum, flock, drove, ring, multitude, pack
Nearby words
- rabbiter,
- rabbitfish,
- rabbiting,
- rabbitoh,
- rabbitry,
- rabble-rouse,
- rabble-rouser,
- rabble-rousing,
- rabblement,
- rabe
Origin of rabble
11350–1400; Middle English rabel (noun), of uncertain origin
rabble
2[ rab-uh l ]
/ ˈræb əl /
noun
a tool or mechanically operated device used for stirring or mixing a charge in a roasting furnace.
verb (used with object), rab·bled, rab·bling.
to stir (a charge) in a roasting furnace.
Origin of rabble
21655–65; < French râble fire-shovel, tool, Middle French raable < Latin rutābulum implement for shifting hot coals, equivalent to *rutā(re) presumed frequentative of ruere to churn up, disturb + -bulum suffix of instrument
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for rabble
rabble
1/ (ˈræbəl) /
noun
a disorderly crowd; mob
the rabble derogatory the common people
Word Origin for rabble
C14 (in the sense: a pack of animals): of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Middle Dutch rabbelen to chatter, rattle
noun
Also called: rabbler an iron tool or mechanical device for stirring, mixing, or skimming a molten charge in a roasting furnace
verb
(tr) to stir, mix, or skim (the molten charge) in a roasting furnace
Word Origin for rabble
C17: from French râble, from Latin rutābulum rake for a furnace, from ruere to rake, dig up
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