charabia
French edit
Etymology edit
Attested since at least 1838, originally to denote the incomprehensible talk of Auvergnats.
The further etymology is uncertain. It's believed to possibly mimick a perceived Auvergnat pronunciation of /s/ as /ʃ/. Others theorize it's derived from Occitan charrar (“to chatter”), or Franco-Provençal charabarat (horse market).
A borrowing from Spanish algarabía has been theorized but deemed less likely from a phonetic and geographic perspective.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
charabia m (plural charabias)
- (colloquial) double Dutch
- gibberish
- Qu’est-ce que c’est que ce charabia?
- What is this gibberish?
- (obsolete) Auvergnat dialect
- (obsolete) An Auvergnat person
See also edit
Further reading edit
- “charabia”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
- charabia – CNTRL