tattle

Meaning

Verb

1. (intransitive) To chatter; to gossip.
2. (Canada, US, derogatory, intransitive) Often said of children: to report incriminating information about another person, or a person's wrongdoing in an annoying fashion, usually to a person in a position of authority over the accused person; to tell on somebody.
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To speak like a baby or young child; to babble, to prattle; to speak haltingly; to stutter.

Noun

1. (countable) A tattletale.
2. (Canada, US, countable, derogatory) Often said of children: a piece of incriminating information or an account of wrongdoing that is said about another person.
3. (uncountable) Idle talk; gossip; (countable) an instance of such talk or gossip.

Synonyms

gossip

chatter

blab

prattle

prate

piffle

palaver

gabble

blabber

tittle-tattle

twaddle

gibber

maunder

babble

clack

singing

peach

🍑

tell tales

telling

talk

🗣️

tell on

spill the beans

bruit

rumor

rumour

sing

let the cat out of the bag

accuse

complain

inform

babble out

blab out

idle talk

shmooze

be talkative

be widely spoken

rattle away

chin wag

chin wagging

chin-wagging

shmoose

jenny

adumbrate

betray

chin-wag

comment

gab

gabfest

give an account

gossiping

Translations

φλυαρώ

bavarder

tratschen

petzen

κακολογώ

κουτσομπολεύω

chismorreo

spettegolare

κουτσομπολιό

klatschen

👏

φλυαρία

Klatsch

parlotejar

xerrar

ausplaudern

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈtæt(ə)l/

Etymology

Cognate with Dutch: tatelen

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: tätelje

Cognate with Middle Low German: tāteren

Cognate with Low German: tateln

Cognate with Middle English: dadel

In summary

From Middle Dutch tatelen, tateren (“to babble, chatter”) (modern Dutch tatelen, tateren (“to talk, chatter”)), originally imitative. The word is cognate with Saterland Frisian tätelje (“to talk nonsense, babble”), Middle Low German tāteren, tadderen (“to babble, chatter”) (whence modern German Low German tatern (“to chatter”)), Low German tateln, täteln (“to cackle, gabble”). Compare also Middle English dadel, dadull (“tattling, gossip”), and its alteration twaddle.