Drivel

Drivel is defined as stupid or senseless talk, idiotic statements, or rank twaddle.

It seems to have come from a Scandinavian word meaning the sediment left over after brewing. This is appropriate, since the earliest use of the word meant spittle flowing from the mouth, or dribble.

Disgusting examples through the centuries appear in the Oxford English Dictionary: “drivel at the nose, or pus” [1570], “he cleared the drivel from his beard” [1586], “the drivel that comes from the mouth of a mad dog” [1697], “the child . . . wet with drivel from the mouth” [1789], and “The . . . nurse leaves you to drivel, and never wipes your nose” [1875].

A separate noun drivel, from a Middle Dutch word meaning a tool for driving, led to drivel meaning a servant doing menial work, an imbecile, a dirty person, and a driving tool.

SIDEBAR: Animated Drivel


Now available from McFarland & Co.: Word Parts Dictionary, 2nd edition


Listen to Mike’s program in real time every Tuesday morning, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. EST, by going to wtcmradio.com and clicking on Listen Now. There is no archive.

Write to Mike with comments or questions:
wordmallATaol.com
(substitute @ for AT above)

Check out Mike's program-based books here:
Arbutus Press
http://arbutuspress.com/store_ling.html
or at Amazon.com

Visit the Senior Corner at http://seniors.tcnet.org