Technobabble

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Impressive-sounding technical jargon that is confusing or meaningless to most listeners, often used to hide a lack of real substance
2. Dense, pseudo-scientific language that sounds authoritative but conveys little genuine information to the people hearing it
3. Specialized terminology strung together in a way that dazzles or confuses an audience rather than clearly explaining anything

Etymology: Technobabble is a blend of two ordinary English words: "techno-", from the Greek "tékhnē", meaning art, craft or skill, and "babble", meaning meaningless or incoherent talk. Put together, the result describes talk that sounds knowledgeable about technology but is really empty jargon. The Greek root reached English through combining forms like "techno-", which were used to build new scientific and technical words. "Babble" is much older in English, arriving in the Middle Ages with an imitative sound behind it, so the word is a fusion of an ancient Greek element and a sound-based English one. The compound is a modern coinage, so the Greeks themselves never used it.

Synonyms: jargon, gobbledygook, double-talk, mumbo jumbo