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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Gibberish #1459 04/18/2000 9:55 AM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 2 Israel efroch stranger efroch stranger Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 2 Israel Hello, could anyone please tell me about the etymology for this word? Thanks, Anat Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Gibberish #1460 04/19/2000 8:15 AM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,981 jmh Pooh-Bah jmh Pooh-Bah Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,981 I'm pretty sure it comes from the word "Gibber" - to make the characteristic sound of a monkey. Its an imitative word - according to my Collins Dictionary - 17th century. (For Ozzies - I see there is another Australian meaning for gibber - boulder or stone, or dry flat area covered in stones - as in gibber plans) Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Gibberish #1461 04/22/2000 12:27 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 460 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia paulb addict paulb addict Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 460 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia Hello efroch: My Shorter Oxford dates "gibberish" as early 16th century and defines it as "unintelligible speech belonging to no known language, a series of meaningless sounds; blundering or ungrammatical talk; nonsense". Cheers Paul Bywater Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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