Dictionary

gibberish en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈd͡ʒɪ.bə.ɹɪʃ/

Etymology

First attested mid-16th century. Origin obscure. Possibly from *gibber, of onomatopoeic origin imitating to the sound of chatter, possibly from or influenced by jabber, + -ish denoting the name of a language (compare English, Finnish, Spanish, etc.). The verb gibber, first attested circa 1600, is usually regarded as a back-formation from gibberish.

Meanings

1. unintelligible, incoherent or meaningless

Forms

gibberish en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈd͡ʒɪ.bə.ɹɪʃ/

Etymology

First attested mid-16th century. Origin obscure. Possibly from *gibber, of onomatopoeic origin imitating to the sound of chatter, possibly from or influenced by jabber, + -ish denoting the name of a language (compare English, Finnish, Spanish, etc.). The verb gibber, first attested circa 1600, is usually regarded as a back-formation from gibberish.

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) Speech or writing that is unintelligible, incoherent or meaningless.
   • The Game of Thrones novels were best sellers without fleshed-out Dothraki; the languages in Star Wars, one of the most successful franchises ever, are mostly gibberish, even if Han Solo claims to understand Chewbacca’s bestial warbling. 2022 December 31, Matteo Wong, “Hollywood’s Love Affair With Fictional Languages”, in The Atlantic:
   • Such gibberish as children may be heard amusing themselves with. 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, chapter 12, in The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC:
   • Could it be, after all, that the whole story was true, and the writing on the sherd was not a forgery, or the invention of some crack-brained, long-forgotten individual? And if so, could it be that Leo was the man that She was waiting for - the dead man who was to be born again! Impossible! The whole thing was gibberish! Who ever heard of a man being born again? 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
2. (uncountable, usually) Needlessly obscure or overly technical language.
3. (uncountable, usually) A language game, comparable to pig Latin, in which one inserts a nonsense syllable before the first vowel in each syllable of a word.

Forms

Deriveds

gibberishlike · gibberishy

Relateds

rhubarb rhubarb · nonsense · gobbledegook · gobbledygook · double Dutch · framis · mumbo jumbo · jargon · galimatias

Synonyms

gibber

Translations (130)

ru пти́чий язы́к (unintelligible speech or writing) · pl bajdura (unintelligible speech or writing) · hu zagyvaság (unintelligible speech or writing) · mk брборење (unintelligible speech or writing) · nl gewauwel (unintelligible speech or writing) · cmn 亂語 /乱语 (unintelligible speech or writing) · hu halandzsa (unintelligible speech or writing) · es farfulla (unintelligible speech or writing) · es algarabía (unintelligible speech or writing) · el αλαμπουρνέζικα (unintelligible speech or writing) · pl jazgot (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · az çərən-pərən (unintelligible speech or writing) · ja ちんぷんかんぷん (unintelligible speech or writing) · sv gallimatias (unintelligible speech or writing) · sv grekiska (unintelligible speech or writing) · ru невня́тность (unintelligible speech or writing) · it arabo (unintelligible speech or writing) · ka აბდაუბდა (unintelligible speech or writing) · it baggianata (unintelligible speech or writing) · tl alimim (unintelligible speech or writing) · nb vås (unintelligible speech or writing) · de Geschwafel (unintelligible speech or writing) · io jargono (unintelligible speech or writing) · cs galimatyáš (unintelligible speech or writing) · da vrøvl (unintelligible speech or writing) · is djöflaþýska (unintelligible speech or writing) · nl wartaal (unintelligible speech or writing) · ko 횡설수설 (unintelligible speech or writing) · de Kokolores (unintelligible speech or writing) · it farfuglio (unintelligible speech or writing) · ka ტექნიკური ენა (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · tr jargon (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · nn labbelensk (unintelligible speech or writing) · nb gresk (unintelligible speech or writing) · da volapyk (unintelligible speech or writing) · eo galimatio (unintelligible speech or writing) · br gregach (unintelligible speech or writing) · it borbottio (unintelligible speech or writing) · nb kaudervelsk (unintelligible speech or writing) · hu bikkfanyelv (unintelligible speech or writing) · nb sludder (unintelligible speech or writing) · it ostrogoto (unintelligible speech or writing) · hi अनाप-शनाप (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · sv fikonspråk (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · cmn 亂語 /乱语 (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · cmn 胡言亂語 /胡言乱语 (unintelligible speech or writing) · nl koeterwaals (unintelligible speech or writing) · is golfranska (unintelligible speech or writing) · hy դատարկաբանություն (unintelligible speech or writing) · cmn 胡話 /胡话 (unintelligible speech or writing) · fi heprea (unintelligible speech or writing) · da nonsens (unintelligible speech or writing) · fr galimatias (unintelligible speech or writing) · li krièmerwelsj (unintelligible speech or writing) · ru бессмы́слица (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · ru белиберда́ (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · ka გაუგებარი მეტყველება (unintelligible speech or writing) · cs hatmatilka (unintelligible speech or writing) · hy ցնորք (unintelligible speech or writing) · cs hatmatilka (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · it corbelleria (unintelligible speech or writing) · gd goileam (unintelligible speech or writing) · es guirigay (unintelligible speech or writing) · el κινέζικα (unintelligible speech or writing) · mi kōrero hunuru (unintelligible speech or writing) · pt algaravia (unintelligible speech or writing) · id bahasa raban (unintelligible speech or writing) · cmn 胡言亂語 /胡言乱语 (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · tl alim-im (unintelligible speech or writing) · cs ptydepe (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · uk тараба́рщина (unintelligible speech or writing) · fr charabia (unintelligible speech or writing) · csb bùlbòt (unintelligible speech or writing) · ka გაუგებარი ყბედობა (unintelligible speech or writing) · ar رَطَانَة (unintelligible speech or writing) · id pepesan kosong (unintelligible speech or writing) · ota صاچمه (unintelligible speech or writing) · cmn 胡話 /胡话 (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · pl bełkot (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · hi अनाप-शनाप (unintelligible speech or writing) · ar ثَرْثَرَة (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · he קַשְׁקֶשֶׁת f גִ׳יבְּרִישׁ (unintelligible speech or writing) · sv rotvälska (unintelligible speech or writing) · ru абракада́бра (unintelligible speech or writing) · de Kauderwelsch (unintelligible speech or writing) · ga gibiris (unintelligible speech or writing) · ar بَرْبَرَة (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · ru белиберда́ (unintelligible speech or writing) · de Gequassel (unintelligible speech or writing) · pl bełkot (unintelligible speech or writing) · nb sprøyt (unintelligible speech or writing) · fr baragouin (unintelligible speech or writing) · bg техни́чески жарго́н (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · es guirigay (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · mk баботење (unintelligible speech or writing) · pt grego (unintelligible speech or writing) · nl visserslatijn (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · ru тараба́рщина (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · gl chinés (unintelligible speech or writing) · nn gresk (unintelligible speech or writing) · ja 珍紛漢紛 (unintelligible speech or writing) · el ασυναρτησίες (unintelligible speech or writing) · gd goileam (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · sv nonsens (unintelligible speech or writing) · eo volapukaĵo (unintelligible speech or writing) · mi kunanu (unintelligible speech or writing) · sq dërdëllisje (unintelligible speech or writing) · fi heprea (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · tr saçmalık (unintelligible speech or writing) · ka გაუგებარი (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · pl jazgot (unintelligible speech or writing) · cs páté přes deváté (unintelligible speech or writing) · ja でたらめ (unintelligible speech or writing) · da kaudervælsk (unintelligible speech or writing) · fi siansaksa (unintelligible speech or writing) · es galimatías (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · ja ちんぷんかんぷん (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · mi reo kihi (unintelligible speech or writing) · ru галиматья́ (unintelligible speech or writing) · ru тараба́рщина (unintelligible speech or writing) · nb vrøvl (unintelligible speech or writing) · bg безсми́слица (unintelligible speech or writing) · de Fachchinesisch (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · fi munkkilatina (needlessly obscure or overly technical language) · be тараба́ршчына (unintelligible speech or writing) · fr chinois (unintelligible speech or writing) · nl gebrabbel (unintelligible speech or writing) · hu badarság (unintelligible speech or writing) · es monserga (unintelligible speech or writing) · pt jargão (needlessly obscure or overly technical language)