Wiktionary

scrabble

See also: Scrabble and scrabblé

English

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Etymology

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From Middle Dutch schrabbelen, frequentative of schrabben (“to scrape”), equivalent to scrab +‎ -le. More at scrape.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈskɹæbəl/
  • Rhymes: -æbəl
  • Audio (US):(file)

Verb

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scrabble (third-person singular simple present scrabbles, present participle scrabbling, simple past and past participle scrabbled)

  1. (intransitive) To scrape or scratch powerfully with hands or claws.
    • [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet (Arnold’s English Literature Series), London: Edward Arnold & Co., →OCLC:
      […] there came no answer, except the echo of my own voice sounding hollow and far off down in the vault. So in despair I turned back to the earth wall below the slab, and scrabbled at it with my fingers, till my nails were broken and the blood ran out; having all the while a sure knowledge, like a cord twisted round my head, that no effort of mine could ever dislodge the great stone.
    • 1908, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, London: Wordsworth Classics, published 1993, page 12:
      So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged, then he scrooged again[.]
  2. (transitive) To gather hastily.
  3. (intransitive) To move with difficulty by making rapid movements back and forth with the hands or paws.
    She was on her hands and knees scrabbling in the mud, looking for her missing wedding ring.
  4. (intransitive) To scribble.
  5. (transitive) To mark with irregular lines or letters; to scribble on.
    to scrabble paper

Derived terms

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Translations

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to scribble — see scribble

See also

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Noun

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scrabble (plural scrabbles)

  1. A scramble.
    a scrabble for dear life

Anagrams

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French

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Noun

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scrabble m (plural scrabbles)

  1. (Scrabble) a play where all seven tiles are used; a bingo

Verb

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scrabble

  1. inflection of scrabbler:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English scrabble.

Noun

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scrabble n (plural scrabble-uri)

  1. scrabble

Declension

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Declension of scrabble
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) scrabble scrabbleul (niște) scrabble-uri scrabble-urile
genitive/dative (unui) scrabble scrabbleului (unor) scrabble-uri scrabble-urilor
vocative scrabbleule scrabble-urilor
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