Forms: 4–7 blabbe, 6– blab. [The history of blab and blabber, and the question of their mutual relations, if any, is very obscure. Blabbe sb. ‘chatterer’ occurs in Chaucer c. 1374, and is very common thenceforth; blab sb. ‘chatter, loose talk’ is in Tale of Beryn (c. 1400), but has not been found elsewhere before the 16th c., when appears also blab vb. ‘to chatter’ (1535), followed in course by its agent noun blabber. But the vb. blabber is earlier than any of these; it occurs in Piers Ploughman (1362), and is (with its deriv. blabberer) very common in Wyclif; the facts thus forbid us to take blabber as a frequentative derivative of blab vb.; while no analogy exists for the formation of either (of the only two early words) blabbe sb., blabber vb., from the other. It would be hardly justifiable to assume blabbe to be a 14th-c. abbreviation of blabberer. For forms akin to blabber in other langs. see that word. With blabbe we have to compare a sb. labbe ‘revealer of secrets, blabber,’ in Chaucer, and a vb. labbe of same age in P. Ploughman, with pple. labbyng ‘blabbing, open-mouthed,’ also in Chaucer, identical with ODu. labben to chatter ‘garrire’ (Stratm.). Blabbe might be a mixed form due to association of labbe and blabber; but may also be purely onomatopœic. Cf. BABBLE.]
1. An open-mouthed person, one who has not sufficient control over his tongue; a revealer of secrets or of what ought to be kept private; a babbler, tattler, or tell-tale; used also of the tongue. (Exceedingly common in 16th and 17th c.; unusual in literature since c. 1750.)
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, III. 251. Proverbis canst thi self ynow, and wost Ayenst that vice for to bene a blabbe.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 37. Blabbe, labbe, wreyare of cownselle, futilis, anubicus.
1496. Dives & Paup. (W. de W.), V. iv. 199/2. Thou shalt be noo tale teller ne blabbe to defame man or woman falsely.
1535. Coverdale, Prov. xvi. 29. He yt is a blabbe of his tonge, maketh deuysion amonge prynces.
1577. Holinshed, Chron., IV. 933. Now I will plaie the blab.
1583. Stanyhurst, Æneis, IV. (Arb.), 105. Fame, the blab vnciuil.
1600. Heywood, 2 Edw. IV., 148. This tongue was never knowne to be a blab.
1656. Dugard, Gate Lat. Unl., § 644. 197. A long-tongued blab, uttering the secrets committed to him.
1671. Milton, Samson, 491. To be excluded all friendship, and avoided as a blab.
1853. Miss E. S. Sheppard, Ch. Auchester, I. 290. Miss Lawrence is a blab.
1869. Spurgeon, J. Ploughm. Talk, 44. Some men are quite as bad blabs as the women.
2. Loose talk or chatter; babbling; divulging of secrets.
c. 1400. Beryn, 3022. Leve thy blab, lewd fole!
1548. Hall, Chron. Rich. III., an. 2. If he had taryed styl, the duke had not made so many blabbes of his counsail.
a. 1604. Hanmer, Chron. Irel. (1633), 127. Thus the blabbe of his tongue, turned to his confusion.
1679. Observ. last Dutch Wars, 8. You with your blustring blabs.
1863. W. Whitman, Elem. Drifts, 2. All that blab whose echoes recoil on me.
† 3. ? as adj. Incontinent of speech. Obs.
1552. Huloet, Blabbe, linguax.
1590. Greene, Mourn. Garm. (1616), 20. Fame is blab.
1598. Sylvester, Du Bartas (1621), 250. Phrenzie, that makes the vaunter insolent; The talk-full, blab.
4. Comb. See after BLAB v.
