/ ˈbæbl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun [ sing. ]
1.
the sound of many people speaking at the same time :
a babble of voices
2.
talking that is confused or silly and is difficult to understand :
I can't listen to his constant babble.
3.
the sounds a baby makes before beginning to say actual words
—see also psychobabble
■ verb
1.
babble (away / on) to talk quickly in a way that is difficult to understand :
[ v ]
They were all babbling away in a foreign language.
I realized I was babbling like an idiot.
[also v speech , vn ]
2.
[ v ] to make the sound of water flowing over rocks, like a stream :
a babbling brook
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Middle Low German babbelen , or an independent English formation, as a frequentative based on the repeated syllable ba , typical of a child's early speech.