Drivel

Origin

The word "drivel" has roots that stretch back to a less sophisticated, more bodily function. Originally, the Old English verb "dreflian" meant "to slaver" or "to slobber," referring to the involuntary drooling of saliva from the mouth. By the 16th century, this physical act of uncontrolled, messy discharge began to metaphorically apply to speech. Just as saliva might trickle senselessly from the mouth, so too could words—loose, pointless, and devoid of sense. The noun form, emerging in the 17th century, solidified this connection, painting a vivid picture of thoughtless talk as something similarly uncontrolled and messy, like the unthinking flow of saliva. The image is one of a speaker with a slack jaw and an equally slack mind, letting words spill out without purpose or intelligence.