rabble English · revision 1306
11 Oct 2026, 06:02 by bogdan “New entry from dictionary sources” current version
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+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /ˈɹæbəl/^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is Middle English,^(AHD) ''rabel'' “pack of animals”,^(MW Collegiate)^(Etymonline) of uncertain origin.^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) It is possibly related to Middle English ''rablen'' “to speak rapidly and confusedly”,^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) from Middle Dutch ''rabbelen'' “to chatter”^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) and probably imitative.^(Etymonline) A separate word ''rabble'', an iron bar for stirring molten metal, is [[der|fr|râble|t=fire shovel]], from Latin ''rutābulum''.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ A pack or swarm of animals (about 1300).^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ Barnhart records a meaningless string of words (about 1389).^(Barnhart 1995) The sense of a tumultuous crowd is from the late 14th century,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995) and by the 1550s the word was applied with contempt to the common people as a whole, ''the rabble''.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The verb “to mob” is from 1644.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * about 1300 – a pack of animals.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)
+ * about 1390 – a crowd of people.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)
+ * 1553 – ''the rabble'', the common people.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)
+ * 1644 – verb, to mob.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)
+ * 1864 – a tool for stirring molten iron, a separate word.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # A disorderly crowd; a [[mob]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # ''(the rabble, derogatory)'' The common people or the lowest class.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # A confused collection of things.^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)
+ # An iron bar for stirring and skimming molten metal, a separate word.^(AHD)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ===Verb===
+ # To attack as a mob.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[rabble-rousing]]
+ * [[rabblement]]
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[rabble-rouser]]
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}