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rabble

Etymology and origin of the English word rabble

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɹæbəl/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English,[2] rabel “pack of animals”,[3][4] of uncertain origin.[4][5] It is possibly related to Middle English rablen “to speak rapidly and confusedly”,[6][4] from Middle Dutch rabbelen “to chatter”[6][4] and probably imitative.[4] A separate word rabble, an iron bar for stirring molten metal, is from French râble (“fire shovel”), from Latin rutābulum.[2][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A pack or swarm of animals (about 1300).[4][7]

Semantic evolution

Barnhart records a meaningless string of words (about 1389).[6] The sense of a tumultuous crowd is from the late 14th century,[4][6] and by the 1550s the word was applied with contempt to the common people as a whole, the rabble.[4][7] The verb “to mob” is from 1644.[7][3]

Timeline

  • about 1300 – a pack of animals.[4][7]
  • about 1390 – a crowd of people.[6][4]
  • 1553 – the rabble, the common people.[7][4]
  • 1644 – verb, to mob.[7][3]
  • 1864 – a tool for stirring molten iron, a separate word.[7][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A disorderly crowd; a mob.
  2. (the rabble, derogatory) The common people or the lowest class.
  3. A confused collection of things.
  4. An iron bar for stirring and skimming molten metal, a separate word.

Verb

  1. To attack as a mob.

Word family

  • rabble-rousing
  • rabblement
  • rabble-rouser

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Rabble.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/rabble. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·