Verbigerate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To repeat words or phrases obsessively or without meaningful purpose; to utter a meaningless string of words continuously; to babble or ramble in a repetitive manner without conveying clear sense
2. To incessantly recite or echo words in a mechanical or pointless way; to repeat sounds or verbal expressions persistently without logical connection; to engage in purposeless verbal repetition or reiteration
3. To utter certain words or phrases over and over again compulsively; to produce a continuous flow of meaningless speech; to reiterate words in a way that lacks meaningful content or intention

Etymology: Verbigerate sounds like a learned Latin formation, and that is exactly what it is: it was coined in the late 19th century from "verbum", meaning "word", and "gerare", meaning "to carry on" or "to keep doing". Put together, the parts suggest "keep carrying on with words", which fits the word's sense of a ceaseless, purposeless flow of talk. The term was built on a Latin verb, "verbigerare", which the source glosses as "to chat". The Latin root "gerare" is also the source of words like "gest" and "gesture" in English, which share its sense of carrying something out or bearing it along. Here, the word's meaning sits at the point where chatter becomes mechanical repetition: the speaker keeps going, but the words no longer carry much sense.

Synonyms: reiterate, repeat, parrot, echo, rehearse