Etymology

drivel

driv·el
D2R1I1V4E1L1

Today it means: Nonsense; senseless talk. Full definition →

Middle English dravel, dribil
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drivel · noun1

  1. Middle English · inherited fromdravel, dribil
  2. English todaydrivel

From Middle English dravel, dribil, a deverbal from drevelen, drivelen (Etymology 2).

drivel · verb2

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*dʰerebʰ-“cloudy, turbid; yeast”
  2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*drablijaną
  3. Old English · inherited fromdreflian“to drivel, slobber, slaver”
  4. Middle English · inherited fromdrevelen, drivelen
  5. English todaydrivel

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”).

drivel · noun3

  1. Middle English · inherited fromdrivel
  2. English todaydrivel

From Middle English drivel, probably from driven + -el, unless borrowed from an equivalent word in another West Germanic language. Compare Old Dutch drevel (“scullion”).

drivel · verb4

Perhaps a blend of drive + dribble.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.