Tattle
/ˈtæt.əl/noun
To tell tales or reveal information, especially in a petty or annoying way.
Did you know?Tattle is a reduplicative English word from the 16th century, and its earliest sense was simply “to talk idly,” showing how English can turn the *sound* of speech into a moral judgment.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*talōną
“to count, reckon, tell”
Old English
OE
tellan
“to count, enumerate, relate, tell”
Middle English
ME
tattlen
“to chatter, talk idly”
16th Century
English
tattle
“idle talk; trivial chatter”
Modern English
English
tattle
“to inform on someone, especially in a petty way”
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