scribble

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈskɹɪbəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪbəl

Etymology 1

From Middle English scribblen, scriblen, scryblen, scribelen, equivalent to scribe +‎ -le (frequentative suffix).

Verb

scribble (third-person singular simple present scribbles, present participle scribbling, simple past and past participle scribbled)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To write or draw carelessly and in a hurry.

   I suddenly remembered I needed to buy bleach, so scribbled it down on my shopping list.

2. To doodle.
3. To write badly; to work as an inferior author or journalist.

Synonyms

• (all senses): scrawl

Coordinate terms

• (write hurriedly): jot

Derived terms

• scribble down
• scribbler
• scribbleress
• transcribble

Related terms

• scribe

Translations

to write or draw carelessly and in a hurry

• Arabic:

  Gulf Arabic: شخبط

• Armenian: խզբզել (hy) (xzbzel)
• Bulgarian: дра́скам (bg) impf (dráskam), дра́щя (bg) impf (dráštja), пиша небрежно impf (piša nebrežno)
• Catalan: fer gargots, gargotejar (ca)
• Esperanto: skribaĉi
• Finnish: kirjoitella (fi), tuhertaa (fi)
• French: gribouiller (fr), griffonner (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: schmieren (de), krakeln (de), kritzeln (de)
• Hebrew: קִשְׁקֵשׁ (he) (qishqésh), שרבט (shirbét)
• Hungarian: firkál (hu)
• Ido: skribachar (io)
• Italian: scarabocchiare, schiccherare
• Polish: bazgrać (pl), gryzmolić
• Portuguese: rabiscar (pt), garranchar (pt)
• Russian: цара́пать (ru) (carápatʹ) (lit.: to scratch), шкря́бать (ru) (škrjábatʹ) (lit.: to scratch, from Ukrainian шкрябати (škrjabaty))
• Spanish: garabatear (es), borrajear (es), borronear (es), garrapatear (es), escarabajear (es)
• Swedish: krafsa (sv)
• Tamil: கிறுக்கு (ta) (kiṟukku)
• Turkish: karalamak (tr)
• Vietnamese: viết nguệch ngoạc, viết cẩu thả
• Yiddish: אָנפּאַטשקען (onpatshken)

to doodle

• Armenian: խզբզել (hy) (xzbzel)
• Bulgarian: драскам си (draskam si)
• Catalan: fer gargots, gargotejar (ca)
• Finnish: töhertää (fi), tuhertaa (fi)
• French: gribouiller (fr)
• Hebrew: שרבט (shirbét)
• Hungarian: firkál (hu)
• Italian: scarabocchiare
• Portuguese: rabiscar (pt)
• Russian: мара́ть бума́гу (marátʹ bumágu) (to soil paper)
• Spanish: garabatear (es), garrapatear (es)

to write badly

• Bulgarian: дра́щя (bg) impf (dráštja)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: (verb) ^{(please verify)} krabbelen (nl), (noun) ^{(please verify)} kattebelletje; kladje

Noun

scribble (countable and uncountable, plural scribbles)

1. Careless, hasty writing, doodle or drawing

Derived terms

• scribble lark
• scribble-scrabble

Translations

hastily done writing

• Arabic: خربشة f
• Bulgarian: драсканица f (draskanica)
• Catalan: gargot (ca), garramanxo
• Cebuano: kuriskuris
• Esperanto: skribaĉo
• Faroese: krutl n, kattarklór n, krakuklór n, rusl n
• Finnish: tuherrus (fi), töherrys (fi)
• German: Gekritzel (de) n, Kritzelei (de) f, Krakelei f, Gekrakel (de) n, Geschmier n
• Hebrew: שרבוט (he) m (shirbút)
• Italian: scarabocchio (it) m
• Maori: tuhituhi kōkau
• Polish: pisanina (pl) f, bazgranina (pl) f, bazgroły (pl) m pl
• Portuguese: garrancho (pt) m
• Spanish: garrapato m, garabato (es) m, garabateo (es) m

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Swedish skrubbla?”)

Verb

scribble (third-person singular simple present scribbles, present participle scribbling, simple past and past participle scribbled)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To card or tease (wool) coarsely; to run through a scribbler.

Further reading

• “scribble”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “scribble”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• cribbles