Rabble | Webster's Dictionary (1865)

Răb'ble, n.

noun

n. [D. rapalje, O. & Prov. Fr. rapaille, from râper, to grate, scrape, to wear out.]

Sense 1. A tumultuous crowd of vulgar, noisy people; a mob; a confused, disorderly crowd.

I saw, I say, some out of London, even unto the presence of the prince, a great rabble of mean and light persons. Ascham.

The mystagogue taught them that Jupiter, Mercury, Bacchus, Venus, Mars, and the whole rabble of licentious deities, were only dead mortals. Warton.

Sense 2. The lowest class of people, without reference to an assembly; the dregs of the people.

The rabble call him “lord.” Shak.

Sense 3. A tool shaped like a rake, used in skimming off slag, &c., in the process of calcining metals.

Rāb'ble, v. t.

verbtransitive

[imp. & p. p. RABBLED; p. pr. & vb. n. RABBLING.] To insult or drive away by a mob; to mob; as, to rabble a curate. Macaulay.

Rāb'ble, a.

adjective

a. Pertaining to, or suited to, a rabble; tumultuous; disorderly. [Rare.] Dryden.

Răb'ble, v. i.

verbintransitive

v. i. [D. rabbelen, Prov. Ger. rabbeln, to prattle, to chatter, Dan. raabe, to call, to cry, allied to Lat. rabula, a brawling advocate, a pettifogger, from rabere, to rave.] To speak in a confused manner. [Prov. Eng.]