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dribble

 [drib-uhl]   Origin

drib·ble

   [drib-uhl] verb, drib·bled, drib·bling, noun
verb (used without object)
1.
to fall or flow in drops or small quantities; trickle.
2.
to drivel; slaver.
3.
Sports. to advance a ball or puck by bouncing it or giving it a series of short kicks or pushes.
verb (used with object)
4.
to let fall in drops.
5.
Sports.
a.
Basketball. to bounce (the ball) as in advancing or keeping control of it.
b.
(especially in ice hockey and soccer) to move (the ball or puck) along by a rapid succession of short kicks or pushes.

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Dribble is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
to spend time idly; loaf.
to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.
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noun
6.
a small trickling stream or a drop.
7.
a small quantity of anything: a dribble of revenue.
8.
Sports. an act or instance of dribbling a ball or puck.
9.
Scot. a drizzle; a light rain.
Origin:
1555–65; frequentative of obsolete drib (v.), probably variant of drip

Related forms
drib·bler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To dribble
Collins
World English Dictionary
dribble (ˈdrɪbəl)
 
—vb
1.  (usually intr) to flow or allow to flow in a thin stream or drops; trickle
2.  (intr) to allow saliva to trickle from the mouth
3.  (in soccer, basketball, hockey, etc) to propel (the ball) by repeatedly tapping it with the hand, foot, or stick
 
—n
4.  a small quantity of liquid falling in drops or flowing in a thin stream
5.  a small quantity or supply
6.  an act or instance of dribbling
 
[C16: frequentative of drib, variant of drip]
 
'dribbler
 
—n
 
'dribbly
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

dribble
1580s, frequentative of obsolete drib (1520s), variant of drip. Sports sense first used of soccer (1863), basketball is early 20c. Related: Dribbled; dribbling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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