Jabberwocky
/ˈdʒæb.ərˌwɒk.i/noun
A playful nonsense word or poem, especially Lewis Carroll’s famous nonsense verse.
Did you know?Although the word itself is nonsense, it became so iconic that English speakers now use it to mean language that sounds meaningful while refusing to fully reveal its secret.
Etymological Timeline
1871
English
Jabberwocky
“Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem in Through the Looking-Glass; later the title-word for absurd or cryptic language.”
English
English
jabber
“To talk rapidly and incoherently; likely imitative in origin, suggesting chattering noise.”
1870s
English
wocky
“A nonsense ending added for sound and comic effect, with no established lexical meaning.”
Modern English
English
jabberwocky
“Nonsense language or writing that sounds like it should mean something.”