slabber

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English slaberen, from Middle Dutch slabberen (“to lap, sup, slaver, slabber”), from Old Dutch *slabrōn, from Proto-Germanic *slabrōnan (“to scrawl, make a mess”), from Proto-Indo-European *slap-, *slab- (“to be weak, be languid”). Cognate with Low German slabbern (“to slabber”), German schlabbern (“to slabber”), Icelandic slafra (“to slaver”). More at slaver.

Alternative forms

• slobber, slubber

Verb

slabber (third-person singular simple present slabbers, present participle slabbering, simple past and past participle slabbered)

1. (intransitive) To let saliva or other liquid fall from the mouth carelessly; drivel; slaver.
2. (transitive) To eat hastily or in a slovenly manner, as liquid food.
3. (transitive) To wet and befoul by liquids falling carelessly from the mouth; slaver; slobber.
4. (transitive) To cover, as with a liquid spill; soil; befoul.

Noun

slabber (plural slabbers)

1. Moisture falling from the mouth; slaver.

Etymology 2

slab +‎ -er

Noun

slabber (plural slabbers)

1. A saw for cutting slabs from logs.
2. A slabbing machine.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.