flibbertigibbet

Flibbertigibbet first appeared in English around 1450 as a word for a chattering or gossiping person. Its structure suggests onomatopoeia: the rapid syllables imitate the sound of fast, meaningless speech—flibber-ti-gibbet, like a tongue tripping over itself. No etymological root has been identified; the word appears to have been invented to sound like what it describes.

In 1603, Samuel Harsnett published A Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures, describing supposed exorcisms performed by Jesuit priests. He listed Flibberdigibbet as one of the demons the priests claimed to have cast out. Shakespeare read Harsnett's book and borrowed the name for Edgar's mad scene in King Lear (1606): 'This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet.'

After Shakespeare, the word maintained a dual existence. In folk usage, a flibbertigibbet was a silly, chattering person—usually a woman, reflecting centuries of misogynistic language patterns. In literary and occult contexts, Flibbertigibbet was a minor demon associated with gossip and mischief.

The demonic association has faded entirely. Modern English uses flibbertigibbet only for someone who talks too much and thinks too little—a harmless, affectionate insult. The word is also famously used in The Sound of Music (1959), where the nuns call Maria a flibbertigibbet. From demon to governess in four centuries.