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Blether

3 stages from Old Norse to English.

Today it means to talk long-windedly without making much sense

Where does the word "blether" come from? It comes from Old Norse blaðra, passing through Scots before entering English (1700s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
blaðra
Old Norse · medieval
"to babble"
to talk nonsense, from 'blaðra', bladder
2
Stage 2 of 3
blether
Scots · 1500s
"to babble"
Robert Burns and other Scots poets used it for idle chatter; 'blather' is the English form
3
Stage 3 of 3
blether
English · 1700s
"to talk nonsense"
'blather' spread widely in American English
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Read the full story

Blether’s story begins in Old Norse: blaðra meant “to babble.” To talk nonsense, from 'blaðra', bladder. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Scots as blether. Robert Burns and other Scots poets used it for idle chatter; 'blather' is the English form. It reached English by 1700s as blether. 'blather' spread widely in American English. Today, blether means to talk long-windedly without making much sense.