scribble1

[skrib-uh l] /ˈskrɪb əl/
verb (used with object), scribbled, scribbling.
1.
to write hastily or carelessly:
to scribble a letter.
2.
to cover with meaningless writing or marks:
to scribble all over a page.
verb (used without object), scribbled, scribbling.
3.
to write or draw in a hasty or careless way.
4.
to make meaningless marks, scrolls, lines, etc., with a pencil, pen, or the like.
noun
5.
a note or other writing that has little or no meaning.
6.
a hasty or careless drawing or piece of writing.
7.
handwriting, especially when illegible.
Origin
1425-75; late Middle English scribblen (v.) < Medieval Latin scrībillāre to scribble, derivative of Latin scrībere to write; see shrive
Related forms
scribblingly, adverb

scribble2

[skrib-uh l] /ˈskrɪb əl/
verb (used with object), scribbled, scribbling.
1.
to tear apart (wool fibers) in the first stages of carding.
Origin
1675-85; < Dutch schribbelen to scratch; cognate with schrobbelen to card wool coarsely, frequentative of schrobben to scrub1
Examples from the web for scribble
  • We used this thing called a typewriter, or sometimes a yellow pad to write and scribble our notes and thoughts.
  • Yet the problem is not the supply: writers will still scribble for scraps.
  • Now is the time to be free to play and scribble outside the lines in any color.
  • She and her friends scribble happy faces and peace symbols on white leather high-top sneakers and denim jackets.
  • Students continue to furiously scribble in their notebooks.
  • At present, brokers scribble orders on paper or shout them out on the floor.
  • He uses the walls as a palette sometimes, or to scribble a note to himself.
  • Brown was relying on what he could scribble on a single piece of paper.
  • We are a noisy, imperfect lot struggling to scribble what has been called the first draft of history.
  • She had plans to carry a pad and pen to communicate, and possibly to scribble down a few more of her commandments.
British Dictionary definitions for scribble

scribble1

/ˈskrɪbəl/
verb
1.
to write or draw in a hasty or illegible manner
2.
to make meaningless or illegible marks (on)
3.
(derogatory or facetious) to write poetry, novels, etc
noun
4.
hasty careless writing or drawing
5.
writing, esp literary matter, of poor quality
6.
meaningless or illegible marks
Derived Forms
scribbly, adjective
Word Origin
C15: from Medieval Latin scrībillāre to write hastily, from Latin scrībere to write

scribble2

/ˈskrɪbəl/
verb
1.
(transitive) to card (wool, etc)
Word Origin
C17: probably from Low German; compare schrubben scrub1
Word Origin and History for scribble
v.

mid-15c., from Medieval Latin scribillare, diminutive of Latin scribere "to write" (see script (n.)). Related: Scribbled; scribbling. The noun, "hurried or careless writing," is 1570s, from the verb.

scribble in Technology


To modify a data structure in a random and unintentionally destructive way. "Bletch! Somebody's disk-compactor program went berserk and scribbled on the i-node table." "It was working fine until one of the allocation routines scribbled on low core." Synonymous with trash; compare mung, which conveys a bit more intention, and mangle, which is more violent and final.
[Jargon File]