rambling









rambling


adjective

  1. aimlessly wandering.
  2. taking an irregular course; straggling: a rambling brook.
  3. spread out irregularly in various directions: a rambling mansion.
  4. straying from one subject to another; desultory: a rambling novel.

verb (used without object), ram·bled, ram·bling.

  1. to wander around in a leisurely, aimless manner: They rambled through the shops until closing time.
  2. to take a course with many turns or windings, as a stream or path.
  3. to grow in a random, unsystematic fashion: The vine rambled over the walls and tree trunks.
  4. to talk or write in a discursive, aimless way (usually followed by on): The speaker rambled on with anecdote after anecdote.

verb (used with object), ram·bled, ram·bling.

  1. to walk aimlessly or idly over or through: They spent the spring afternoon rambling woodland paths.

noun

  1. a walk without a definite route, taken merely for pleasure.

adjective

  1. straggling or sprawling haphazardly; unplanneda rambling old house
  2. (of speech or writing) lacking a coherent plan; diffuse and disconnected
  3. (of a plant, esp a rose) profusely climbing and straggling
  4. nomadic; wandering

verb (intr)

  1. to stroll about freely, as for relaxation, with no particular direction
  2. (of paths, streams, etc) to follow a winding course; meander
  3. (of plants) to grow in a random fashion
  4. (of speech, writing, etc) to lack organization

noun

  1. a leisurely stroll, esp in the countryside
adj.

1623, present participle adjective from ramble (v.).

v.

mid-15c., perhaps frequentative of romen “to walk, go” (see roam), perhaps via romblen (late 14c.) “to ramble.” The vowel change perhaps by influence of Middle Dutch rammelen, a derivative of rammen “copulate,” “used of the night wanderings of the amorous cat” [Weekley]. Meaning “to talk or write incoherently” is from 1630s. Related: Rambled; rambling.

n.

“a roving or wandering,” 1650s, from ramble (v.).

53 queries 0.602