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yammer

[yam-er]Informal.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to whine or complain.
  2. to make an outcry or clamor.
  3. to talk loudly and persistently.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to utter clamorously, persistently, or in complaint: They yammered their complaints until she let them see the movie.
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noun
  1. the act or noise of yammering.
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Origin of yammer

1275–1325; Middle English yameren (v.) < Middle Dutch jam(m)eren, replacing Middle English yomeren, Old English gēomrian to complain, derivative of gēomor sad; akin to German Jammer lamentation
Related formsyam·mer·er, nounyam·mer·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

moanwhimperbellyachefusswailcarpgrumblegriperepineyowlcomplainhowl

Examples from the Web for yammer

Historical Examples

  • "I'd loike to ha' th' first yammer at him," he had said, savagely.

    That Lass O' Lowrie's

    Frances Hodgson Burnett

  • Mrs. Yammer crossed her hands languidly upon her lap and sighed.

    Merkland

    Mrs. Oliphant

  • If Miss Ross is no feared for her teeth, sighed Mrs. Yammer.

    Merkland

    Mrs. Oliphant

  • At the memory of Yammer's words, Parker twisted uncomfortably.

    Sinister Paradise

    Robert Moore Williams

  • It was as if Yammer's face showed in the water into which he thrust the paddle.

    Sinister Paradise

    Robert Moore Williams

British Dictionary definitions for yammer

yammer

verb
  1. to utter or whine in a complaining or peevish manner
  2. to make (a complaint) loudly or persistently
  3. (intr) (esp of an animal) to howl or wail plaintively or distressingly; yelp or yowl
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noun
  1. a yammering sound, wail, or utterance
  2. nonsense; jabber
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Derived Formsyammerer, noun

Word Origin

Old English geōmrian to grumble, complain; related to Old High German iāmar misery, lamentation, Old Norse amra to howl
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 yammer

v.

late 15c., "to lament," probably from Middle Dutch jammeren and cognate Middle English yeoumeren, "to mourn, complain," from Old English geomrian "to lament," from geomor "sorrowful," probably of imitative origin. Meaning "to make loud, annoying noise" is attested from 1510s. Related: Yammered; yammering.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper