Etymograph

English

galimatias

Galimatias comes from French galimatias ‘nonsense, gobbledygook, galimatias’.

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentgalimatias‘nonsense, gobbledygook, galimatias’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1888same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentgalimatias‘nonsense, gobbledygook, galimatias’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1888same form

Earliest quotation: 1888, Henry James: “[…] and the old lady listened in silence, solemnly,…”

first attested Borrowed from French galimatias, first attested in 1653 in Sir Thomas Urquhart's translation of Rabelais's works (as stated in the etymology)

The story

Borrowed from French galimatias, first attested in 1653 in Sir Thomas Urquhart's translation of Rabelais's works.

Every English word from French galimatias

Today it means

noun Nonsense, gobbledygook.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / French galimatias / galimatias

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