drivel
- 01 C2 Proficiency
v.to talk for a long time about things that are not important or do not make sense.
v.to speak in a foolish, rambling, or nonsensical manner.
Simple“He was driveling on about his old car for over an hour.”
In context“The politician continued to drivel on about minor technicalities while the audience waited for an answer to the primary question.”
- 02 C2 Proficiency
n.the liquid that comes out of the mouth; drool.
n.saliva or mucus flowing from the mouth or nose. This sense is the etymological root of the 'nonsense' meaning but is now less common.
Simple“The old dog had a bit of drivel on its chin.”
In context“In the medical text, the term was used to describe the involuntary drivel observed in patients with specific neurological impairments.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
v.to let liquid fall from the mouth.
v.to allow saliva to flow from the mouth; to drool or slaver.
Simple“The baby started to drivel as she fell asleep.”
In context“The patient began to drivel uncontrollably, a symptom that the nursing staff noted as a sign of worsening motor function.”
Synonymsdroolslobber
From Middle English dravel, dribil, a deverbal from drevelen, drivelen (Etymology 2).
From Middle English drevelen, drivelen, from Old English dreflian (“to drivel, slobber, slaver”), from Proto-Germanic drablijaną, from Proto-Indo-European dʰerebʰ- (“cloudy, turbid; yeast”).
From Middle English drivel, probably from driven + -el, unless borrowed from an equivalent word in another West Germanic language. Compare Old Dutch drevel (“scullion”).
Perhaps a blend of drive + dribble.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.