slabber

From Middle English slaberen, from Middle Dutch slabberen (“to lap, sup, slaver, slabber”), from Old Dutch *slabrōn, from Proto-Germanic *slabrōną (“to scrawl, make a mess”), from Proto-Indo-European *slap-, *slab- (“to be weak, be languid”). Cognate with Low German slabbern (“to slabber”), German schlabbern (“to slabber”), Icelandic slafra (“to slaver”). More at slaver.

• slobber, slubber

slabber (third-person singular simple present slabbers, present participle slabbering, simple past and past participle slabbered)

1. (intransitive) To let saliva or other liquid fall from the mouth carelessly; drivel; slaver.
2. (transitive) To eat hastily or in a slovenly manner, as liquid food.
3. (transitive) To wet and befoul by liquids falling carelessly from the mouth; slaver; slobber.
   • Arbuthnot

     He slabbered me over, from cheek to cheek, with his great tongue.

4. (transitive) To cover, as with a liquid spill; soil; befoul.
   • Tusser

     The milk pan and cream pot so slabbered and tost / That butter is wanting and cheese is half lost.

slabber (countable and uncountable, plural slabbers)

1. Moisture falling from the mouth; slaver.

slab +‎ -er

slabber (plural slabbers)

1. A saw for cutting slabs from logs.
2. A slabbing machine.

• barbels, barbles, rabbles