scribble

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈskɹɪbəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

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• Audio (General American):

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• Rhymes: -ɪbəl

Etymology 1

From Middle English scribblen, scriblen, scryblen, scribelen, equivalent to scribe +‎ -le (frequentative suffix).

Verb

scribble (third-person singular simple present scribbles, present participle scribbling, simple past and past participle scribbled)

1. (ambitransitive) To write or draw carelessly and in a hurry.

   Synonym: scrabble

   I suddenly remembered I needed to buy bleach, so scribbled it down on my shopping list.

2. To doodle.
3. To write badly; to work as an inferior author or journalist.

Synonyms

• (all senses): scrawl

Coordinate terms

• (write hurriedly): jot

Derived terms

• scribble down
• scribbler
• scribbleress
• transcribble

Related terms

• scribe

Translations

to write or draw carelessly and in a hurry

Arabic: Gulf Arabic: شخبط Armenian: խզբզել (hy) (xzbzel) Bulgarian: дра́скам (bg) impf (dráskam), дра́щя (bg) impf (dráštja), пиша небрежно impf (piša nebrežno) Catalan: fer gargots, gargotejar (ca) Chichewa: kulémba Esperanto: skribaĉi Finnish: kirjoitella (fi), tuhertaa (fi) French: gribouiller (fr), griffonner (fr) Georgian: please add this translation if you can German: schmieren (de), krakeln (de), kritzeln (de) Hebrew: קִשְׁקֵשׁ (he) (qishqésh), שרבט (shirbét) Hungarian: firkál (hu) Ido: skribachar (io) Italian: scarabocchiare, schiccherare Polish: bazgrać (pl), gryzmolić (pl) Portuguese: rabiscar (pt), garranchar (pt) Russian: цара́пать (ru) (carápatʹ) (lit.: to scratch), шкря́бать (ru) (škrjábatʹ) (lit.: to scratch, from Ukrainian шкрябати (škrjabaty)) Spanish: garabatear (es), borrajear (es), borronear (es), garrapatear (es), escarabajear (es) Swedish: krafsa (sv) Tamil: கிறுக்கு (ta) (kiṟukku) Turkish: karalamak (tr) Vietnamese: viết nguệch ngoạc, viết cẩu thả Yiddish: אָנפּאַטשקען (onpatshken)

to doodle

Armenian: խզբզել (hy) (xzbzel) Bulgarian: драскам си (draskam si) Catalan: fer gargots, gargotejar (ca) Chichewa: kulémbalemba Finnish: töhertää (fi), tuhertaa (fi) French: gribouiller (fr), grabouiller (fr) Hebrew: שרבט (shirbét) Hungarian: firkál (hu) Italian: scarabocchiare Portuguese: rabiscar (pt) Russian: мара́ть бума́гу (marátʹ bumágu) (to soil paper) Spanish: garabatear (es), garrapatear (es)

to write badly

Bulgarian: дра́щя (bg) impf (dráštja) French: gribouiller (fr), griffonner (fr), scribouiller (fr), grabouiller (fr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch: (verb) (please verify) krabbelen (nl), (noun) (please verify) kattebelletje; kladje

Noun

scribble (countable and uncountable, plural scribbles)

1. Careless, hasty writing, doodle or drawing

Synonyms

• doodle
• squiggle

Derived terms

• scribble lark
• scribble-scrabble

Translations

hastily done writing

Arabic: خربشة f Bulgarian: драсканица f (draskanica) Catalan: gargot (ca), garramanxo Cebuano: kuriskuris Esperanto: skribaĉo Faroese: krutl n, kattarklór n, krakuklór n, rusl n Finnish: tuherrus (fi), töherrys (fi) French: pattes de mouche (fr) f pl (literally “fly feet”), pieds de mouche (fr) m pl (literally “fly feet”), gribouillis (fr) m, gribouillage (fr) m, griffonnage (fr) m German: Gekritzel (de) n, Kritzelei (de) f, Krakelei f, Gekrakel (de) n, Geschmier (de) n Hebrew: שרבוט (he) m (shirbút) Italian: scarabocchio (it) m Maori: tuhituhi kōkau Polish: pisanina (pl) f, bazgranina (pl) f, bazgroły (pl) m pl Portuguese: garrancho (pt) m Spanish: garrapato (es) m, garabato (es) m, garabateo (es) m Tamil: கிறுக்கு (ta) (kiṟukku)

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Swedish skrubbla?”)

Verb

scribble (third-person singular simple present scribbles, present participle scribbling, simple past and past participle scribbled)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To card or tease (wool) coarsely; to run through a scribbler.

Further reading

• “scribble”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “scribble”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

• cribbles