An altered form (with dissimilation of mm to mb) of dialectal rammle, from Middle English *ramlen, *ramelen, frequentative of Middle English ramen (“to roam, ramble”); compare Swedish ramla (“to stumble; fall; make a noise; rumble”), Danish ramle (“to stumble; collapse; thunder; boom”); equivalent to roam + -le.
"mid-15 c., perhaps frequentative of 'romen' 'to walk, go' perhaps via 'romblen' (late 14 c.) 'to ramble.' The vowel change perhaps by influence of Middle Dutch 'rammelen,' a derivative of 'rammen' 'copulate,' 'used of the night wanderings of the amorous cat.' Meaning 'to talk or write incoherently' is from 1630s".
Meanings
A leisurely stroll; a recreational walk in the countryside.
The place was a favourite with all, and the ramble in this quarter was quite a regular custom of the afternoon with the fair heiress of Colonel Walton in particular. 1835, William Gilmore Simms, The Partisan, Harper, Chapter XI, page 138:
Marianne was prevailed upon to join her sisters in their usual walk, instead of wandering away by herself. Hitherto she had carefully avoided every companion in her rambles. If her sisters intended to walk on the downs, she directly stole away towards the lanes;[…] 1811, Jane Austen, chapter 16, in Sense and Sensibility:
A rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction.
A bed of shale over the seam of coal.
A section of woodland suitable for leisurely walking.
Someone proposed that we play in one of the small clearings in a gay crusing ^([sic]) area in Central Park called the rambles. 1981 April 25, 10, “Growth Of A Gay Soccer League”, in Gay Community News, page 10:
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rambles
Number=Plur
lexicographic
Translations (12)
fi jaarittelu (a rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction) · es divagación (a rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction) · bg брътвеж (a rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction) · cmn 漫谈 (a rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction) · es charla que se va por tangentes (a rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction) · ru болтовня́ (a rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction) · de Abschweifen (a rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction) · bg бъбрене (a rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction) · ru пустосло́вие (a rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction) · es perorata (a rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction) · es monserga (a rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction) · bg бръщолевене (a rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction)
An altered form (with dissimilation of mm to mb) of dialectal rammle, from Middle English *ramlen, *ramelen, frequentative of Middle English ramen (“to roam, ramble”); compare Swedish ramla (“to stumble; fall; make a noise; rumble”), Danish ramle (“to stumble; collapse; thunder; boom”); equivalent to roam + -le.
"mid-15 c., perhaps frequentative of 'romen' 'to walk, go' perhaps via 'romblen' (late 14 c.) 'to ramble.' The vowel change perhaps by influence of Middle Dutch 'rammelen,' a derivative of 'rammen' 'copulate,' 'used of the night wanderings of the amorous cat.' Meaning 'to talk or write incoherently' is from 1630s".
Meanings
To move about aimlessly, or on a winding course.
Weak from drifting on the longest mosey ever rambled. Weeks with no meal or beverage. Blistering desert pounding me to the crosine-tipped ^([sic]) brink of insanity. Yet perhaps there is truth in sand madness. 2007 December 9, Xavier Renegade Angel, season 1, episode 6, spoken by Xavier (Vernon Chatman):
To walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter.
To lead the life of a vagabond or itinerant; to move about with no fixed place of address.
1994, Richard Thompson, “Beeswing”
We was drinking more in those days and tempers reached a pitch
And like a fool I let her run with the rambling itch
(often, qualifier:about, with-on) To talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions.
Francine has a tendency to ramble when it gets to be late in the evening.
Last night she was rambling on about horticultural methods, which was so soothing that I nodded off.
Usually I don't mind listening to her ramble on a bit; it can be soothing.
She often rambles about bees' behavior, both in the hive and in the field.
drivel (talk or write unclearly, or incoherently) · sperg (talk or write unclearly, or incoherently)
Translations (65)
bg криволя (to follow a winding path or course) · hu kószál (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · hu fecseg (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · ru бормотать (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · la ālūcinor (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · bg лъкатуша (to follow a winding path or course) · es divagar (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · hu lődörög (to move about aimlessly) · ru запутался в словах (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · bg скитам (to lead the life of a vagabond or itinerant; to move about with no fixed place of address) · fi jaaritella (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · bg разхождам се (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · bg смънквам (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · ota كزمك (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · bg скитам (to move about aimlessly) · oc landrejar (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · bg скитосвам (to lead the life of a vagabond or itinerant; to move about with no fixed place of address) · bg дрънкам (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · bg бърборя (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · hu császkál (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · de spazieren (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · bg бродя (to move about aimlessly) · es vagar (to move about aimlessly) · fr se balader (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · hu bóklászik (to move about aimlessly) · hu kóborol (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · ca xerrar (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · es errar (to move about aimlessly) · de schlendern (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · es elucubrar (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · bg криволича (to follow a winding path or course) · fr flâner (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · oc se passejar (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · mi whakatīhohe (to move about aimlessly) · de bummeln (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · es debrayar (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · hu ődöng (to move about aimlessly) · fi käydä kävelylenkillä (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · es pasearse (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · bg многоглаголствам (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · de umherziehen (to move about aimlessly) · th เพ้อ (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · mi ānau (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · bg скиторя (to lead the life of a vagabond or itinerant; to move about with no fixed place of address) · hu sétál (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · ru путать слова (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · pt divagar (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · oc rambiar (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · ru пробормотать (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · es errar (to lead the life of a vagabond or itinerant; to move about with no fixed place of address) · bg брътвя (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · mi kāwekaweka (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · es deambular (to move about aimlessly) · fr divaguer (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · es callejear (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · mi murakehu (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · hu elkalandozik (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · es serpentear (to follow a winding path or course) · hu csatangol (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · hu bolyong (to move about aimlessly) · bg смотолевям (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · fr radoter (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · hu csapong (to talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions) · ru прогу́ливаться (to walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter) · hu kóvályog (to move about aimlessly)