Scribble
/ˈskrɪb.əl/noun
To write or draw carelessly or hurriedly.
Did you know?Scribble is tied to the same ancient root as script and scribe, ultimately from Latin scribere, the verb for writing—proof that even “messy handwriting” comes from a word family built around sacred record-keeping.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skribh-
“to cut, scratch, or incise”
Latin
Latin
scribere
“to write; literally, to scratch or incise letters into a surface”
Late Latin
Latin
scribillare
“to scribble, scrawl, or write carelessly”
Middle English
English
scriblen
“to scratch or write hastily and carelessly”
Modern English
English
scribble
“to write or draw in a careless, hurried way”