Gobbledygooks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of language that is complex and difficult to understand, often characterized by unnecessary jargon or elaborate phrasing
2. This term refers to communications that obscure meaning due to excessive verbosity or technicality
3. It describes writing or speech that is convoluted, making it hard for the average person to comprehend the intended message

Etymology: The plural of "gobbledygook," which is itself a noun for dense, jargon-heavy writing or speech. Its origin is a memo written on March 30, 1944, by Maury Maverick, a Democratic US Representative from Texas, who banned what he called "gobbledygook language" in government documents. Maverick reportedly chose the word because it imitated the sounds a turkey makes, a gobbling noise that suggested pompous, meaningless chatter. The imitative roots explain the word's shape: a run of repeated "-gobble" and "-gook" syllables that sound like a bird strutting and muttering. Once Maverick put it on paper, the word spread quickly through American English as a handy label for officialese.