Obs. Forms: 4 blaberen, blaiberen, 5 blaberyn, -veryn, blabir, -yr, 5–6 blaber, 6 blabbar, 7 -or, 6–7 blabber. [ME. blaberen, late 14th c. Words of similar form appear in other Teut. langs.: cf. ON. blabbra (cited by Rietz), Da. blabbre to babble, gabble, Sw. dial. blaffra to prattle, G. blappern (Grimm), plappern to blab, babble, prate. But the evidence is not sufficient to show whether any of these were actually connected with the English word, or whether they agree only in being natural expressions of the action involved, which seems to be essentially that of producing a confused repetition or combination of labial (b) and lingual (l, r) sounds. It is noteworthy that in the earliest instance quoted, blaberde varies in the MSS. with babeled, bablide, etc.: cf. BABBLE. See further under BLAB.]

1

  1.  intr. To make sounds with the lips and tongue as an infant (cf. sense 3); to speak inarticulately or indistinctly; to babble, to mumble.

2

1362.  Langl., P. Pl., A. V. 8. So I blaberde [v.r. blaberid, babelide, -ed, bablide] on my Beodes.

3

1382.  Wyclif, 1 Esdr., Prol. The tunge kut of it shal blaberen.

4

c. 1505.  Kennedie, Flyting, 344. And blaberis that noyis mennis eris to here.

5

1530.  Palsgr., 456. My sonne dothe but blabber yet, he can nat speke his wordes playne.

6

a. 1800.  Ballad ‘Ld. Ingram,’ xxi. in Child’s Ballads, III. 131/2. A’ was for the bonnie babe That lay blabbering in her bleed.

7

  b.  trans.

8

c. 1505.  Dunbar, Flyting, 112. Fairar Inglis … Than thow can blabbar with thy Carrik lippis.

9

  2.  intr. To chatter, babble, talk idly or senselessly.

10

c. 1375.  Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. I. 376. Þei blaiberen þus for defaute of witt.

11

a. 1400.  Cov. Myst., 164. Boys now blaberyn.

12

c. 1430.  Life St. Kath. (1884), 53. Þat oþer cristen peple presume not to blaber aȝenst oure goddes.

13

c. 1440.  Promp. Parv., 37. Blaberyn, or speke wythe-owte resone, blatero.

14

1483.  Cath. Angl., 33. To Blabyr, blaterare.

15

  b.  trans.; also with out, forth. Cf. blab, blurt.

16

c. 1380.  Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 168. Prestis … blabren out matynys and masse … wiþ-outen deuocion and contemplacion. Ibid., 73. Þei prechen not cristis gospel … but blaberen forþe anticristis bullis.

17

1580.  Sidney, Arcadia, IV. 417. Did blabber out what he had found.

18

1624.  A. H., in J. Davies’ Wks. (1878), II. 81. And blabber forth His Funerall, in Rimes.

19

  † 3.  To move the tongue between the lips in mockery. Obs. Cf. BLEAR v.2

20

1530.  Palsgr., 456. I blaber, I put forthe the lyppe, as one dothe his tonge in his heed … his tonge blabred in his heed, Je baboye.

21

1611.  Cotgr., Baboyer, to blabber with the lips: to famble, to falter.

22

1629.  Schoole Gd. Manners (Halliw.). To mocke anybody by blabboring out the tongue is the part of … lewd boyes.

23