prattle (English)
Where does "prattle" come from?
The word 'prattle' evolved from the English 'prate' by adding a frequentative suffix, which humorously emphasizes the repetitive, babbling nature of the talk. The root 'prate' traces back through Middle English to Proto-Germanic origins associated with boastful or deceitful speech, ultimately sharing distant roots with words for wandering or nonsensical rambling across multiple Indo-European languages.
Full etymology tree
- prattle (English), 'Silly, childish talk; babble.'
- compound prate (English), 'Talk to little purpose; trifling talk; unmeaningful loquacity.'
- inherited *prattuz (Proto-Germanic), 'boastful talk'
- inherited *bred- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *prattuz (Proto-Germanic), 'boastful talk'
- suffix -le (English), 'A frequentative suffix of verbs, indicating repetition or continuousness'
- borrowed le (Old French), 'the (masculine singular oblique definite article)'
- inherited ille (Latin), 'that, yon; those'
- inherited *olnos (Proto-Italic), 'that'
- inherited *h2el- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *olnos (Proto-Italic), 'that'
- inherited ille (Latin), 'that, yon; those'
- borrowed le (Old French), 'the (masculine singular oblique definite article)'
- compound prate (English), 'Talk to little purpose; trifling talk; unmeaningful loquacity.'
Direct ancestors
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris