Dictionary

blather en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈblæðə(ɹ)/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English bletheren, bloderen, from Old Norse blaðra (“to speak inarticulately, talk nonsense”). Cognate with Scots blether, bladder, bledder (“to blather”), dialectal German bladdern (“to talk nonsense, blather”), Norwegian bladra (“to babble, speak imperfectly”), Icelandic blaðra (“to twaddle”).

Meanings

1. (derogatory, uncountable) Foolish or nonsensical talk.
   • Will you cease your blather of mutiny and treason and courts-martial? 1922, Rafael Sabatini, chapter 23, in Captain Blood, New York: Grosset & Dunlap, page 265:
   • That is the worst of being in an Irish regiment, nothing can be done widout ever so much blather; 1897, G. A. Henty, chapter 1, in With Moore at Corunna, New York: Scribner, page 16:
   • With years of proofreading under my belt, I knew exactly the blather and bluster favoured by professional politicians. 1995, Rohinton Mistry, A Fine Balance, Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, part 5, page 280:

Forms

Synonyms

chinwag · scuttlebutt · natter · prattle · blabber · yatter · small talk · bavardage · waffle · yap · blathering · chit-chat · blab · hot air · blabbing · gabble · blather · babble · claver · chatter · yackety-yak · mardle · clepe · palaver · blither · tattle · prate · twaddle · bibble-babble

Translations (15)

de Gequatsche (foolish or nonsensical talk) · cs žvásty (foolish or nonsensical talk) · pl bredzenie (foolish or nonsensical talk) · ar لَغْو (foolish or nonsensical talk) · uk базі́кання (foolish or nonsensical talk) · bg дърдорене (foolish or nonsensical talk) · de Gequassel (foolish or nonsensical talk) · de Gelabere (foolish or nonsensical talk) · eo vortlakso (foolish or nonsensical talk) · uk балакани́на (foolish or nonsensical talk) · mk дрдорење (foolish or nonsensical talk) · bg плямпане (foolish or nonsensical talk) · de Laberei (foolish or nonsensical talk) · eo babilaĉo (foolish or nonsensical talk) · cs tlachy (foolish or nonsensical talk)

blather en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈblæðə(ɹ)/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English bletheren, bloderen, from Old Norse blaðra (“to speak inarticulately, talk nonsense”). Cognate with Scots blether, bladder, bledder (“to blather”), dialectal German bladdern (“to talk nonsense, blather”), Norwegian bladra (“to babble, speak imperfectly”), Icelandic blaðra (“to twaddle”).

Meanings

1. (derogatory, intransitive) To talk rapidly without making much sense.
   • It was at the unveiling of Sir John Gray's statue. Edmund Dwyer Gray was speaking, blathering away, and here was this old fellow, crabbed-looking old chap, looking at him from under his bushy eyebrows. 1905 (date written), James Joyce, “Grace”, in Dubliners, London: Grant Richards, published June 1914, →OCLC, page 210:
   • On and on he blathered, taking refuge in the one thing he felt lent him superiority: words. 2001, Richard Flanagan, “The Pot-Bellied Seahorse”, in Gould’s Book of Fish, New York, N.Y.: Grove Atlantic, published 2014, section 5:
   • “There you go blatherin’,” said Brindle, intending a mild rebuke. 1866, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XI, in Felix Holt, the Radical […], volume I, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, page 249:
2. (derogatory, transitive) To say (something foolish or nonsensical); to say (something) in a foolish or overly verbose way.
   • Then, just before the wedding, the old man feels he’s honor bound to tell his future son-in-law the secret of his past; so the damned idiot blathers the whole story of his killing the man and breaking jail! 1929, Eugene O’Neill, Dynamo, New York, N.Y.: Liveright, act I, scene i, page 31:
   • […] the church attitude has never been that a teacher should be allowed to blather anything that comes into his head without any accountability at all. 1974, Robert M[aynard] Pirsig, chapter 18, in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, New York, N.Y.: William Morrow & Company, →ISBN, part 3, page 214:

Forms

Deriveds

blatherstorm · blathery · blatherskite · blatherskate · blatherer · blathersome

Translations (45)

da skvadre (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · fi pölistä (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · da pludre (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · ta பேத்து (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · ru трепа́ться (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · ro bodogăni (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · pl zbajtlować (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · pl bajtlować (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · ar بَقَّ (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · bg плямпам (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · mk дрдори (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · fi pälpättää (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · de sabbeln (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · bg говоря празни приказки (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · it blaterare (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · cs mlít (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · de quasseln (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · tr çene çalmak (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · it straparlare (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · sv pladdra (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · ga bí ag glaigearacht (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · cs tlachat (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · ru треща́ть (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · eo babilaĉi (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · sh blebetati (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · ru тарато́рить (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · tr zevzeklik etmek (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · es despotricar (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · de quatschen (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · fi lörpötellä (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · lad shushurrear (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · tr saçmalamak (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · fr dégoiser (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · tr gevezelik etmek (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · da jappe (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · fi kaakattaa (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · ta உளறு (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · it sproloquiare (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · fr déblatérer (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · cs pindat (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · mi kunanu (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · gd bleadraig (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · sh brbljati (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · cs žvanit (to talk rapidly without making much sense) · pt tagarelar (to talk rapidly without making much sense)

blather en · NOUN · etymology 2

Meanings

1. (alt-of, obsolete) Obsolete form of bladder.
   alt of bladder
   • 1596, Charles Fitzgeoffrey, Sir Francis Drake His Honorable Lifes Commendation, and His Tragicall Deathes Lamentation, Oxford: Joseph Barnes, […] on Vlisses Circe did bestowe A blather, where the windes imboweld were,

Forms