gibber
gibber Lexical Profile
gibber Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To speak rapidly and inarticulately, often due to fear, shock, or excitement, or to make rapid chattering sounds (of an animal such as a monkey).
"The monkeys began to gibber loudly in the canopy as the storm approached."
• noun
Rapid, inarticulate, or nonsensical speech or chattering.
"The terrified witness could only produce a stream of incoherent gibber when questioned."
Australian A wind-polished, desert-varnished stone or pebble forming part of a desert pavement across arid inland regions of Australia.
"The desert plains of central Australia are covered in a dense layer of red gibbers."
Word Nuance & Usage
The verb 'gibber' (to babble or chatter inarticulately, pronounced with a soft 'g' as in 'gibberish') is unrelated to the Australian geological noun 'gibber' (a desert stone, pronounced with a hard 'g').
• Rhymes for gibber
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The verb dates to the early 17th century and is of imitative origin, related to 'jabber' and 'gibberish'. The Australian geological noun was borrowed in the 19th century from the Dharug Indigenous Australian word 'giba', meaning stone or rock.