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ramble

noun
/ˈɹæmbəl/

Etymology

An altered form (with dissimilation of mm to mb) of dialectal rammle, from Middle English *ramlen, *ramelen, frequentative of Middle English ramen (“to roam, ramble”); compare Swedish ramla (“to stumble; fall; make a noise; rumble”), Danish ramle (“to stumble; collapse; thunder; boom”); equivalent to roam + -le. "mid-15 c., perhaps frequentative of 'romen' 'to walk, go' perhaps via 'romblen' (late 14 c.) 'to ramble.' The vowel change perhaps by influence of Middle Dutch 'rammelen,' a derivative of 'rammen' 'copulate,' 'used of the night wanderings of the amorous cat.' Meaning 'to talk or write incoherently' is from 1630s".

  1. derived from ramen — “to roam, ramble”
  2. inherited from *ramlen✻

Definitions

  1. A leisurely stroll

    A leisurely stroll; a recreational walk in the countryside.

    • The place was a favourite with all, and the ramble in this quarter was quite a regular custom of the afternoon with the fair heiress of Colonel Walton in particular.

  2. A rambling

    A rambling; an instance of someone talking at length without direction.

  3. A bed of shale over the seam of coal.

  4. ›+ 6 more definitions

    1. A section of woodland suitable for leisurely walking.

      • Someone proposed that we play in one of the small clearings in a gay crusing ^([sic]) area in Central Park called the rambles.

    2. To move about aimlessly, or on a winding course.

      • Weak from drifting on the longest mosey ever rambled. Weeks with no meal or beverage. Blistering desert pounding me to the crosine-tipped ^([sic]) brink of insanity. Yet perhaps there is truth in sand madness.

    3. To walk for pleasure

      To walk for pleasure; to amble or saunter.

    4. To lead the life of a vagabond or itinerant

      To lead the life of a vagabond or itinerant; to move about with no fixed place of address.

      • 1994, Richard Thompson, “Beeswing” We was drinking more in those days and tempers reached a pitch And like a fool I let her run with the rambling itch

    5. To talk or write incessantly, unclearly, or incoherently, with many digressions.

      • Francine has a tendency to ramble when it gets to be late in the evening.
      • She often rambles about bees' behavior, both in the hive and in the field.
      • Usually I don't mind listening to her ramble on a bit; it can be soothing.

    6. To follow a winding path or course.

      • The river rambled through the mountains.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for ramble. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA