• n. 烏合之眾；暴民；下層社會；（攪煉用的）長柄耙
• vt. 聚眾鬧事；用長柄耙攪拌

可能來自擬聲詞，模仿喧鬧聲，吵鬧聲，-le,表反復。后用于形容沒有組織的烏合之眾。

rabble (n.1)

c. 1300, "pack of animals," possibly related to Middle English rablen "to gabble, speak in a rapid, confused manner," probably imitative of hurry, noise, and confusion (compare Middle Dutch rabbelen, Low German rabbeln "to chatter"). Meaning "tumultuous crowd of vulgar, noisy people" is from late 14c.; applied contemptuously to the common or low part of any populace from 1550s.

rabble (n.2)

iron bar for stirring molten metal, 1864, from French rable, from Old French roable, from Latin rutabulum "rake, fire shovel," from ruere to rake up (perhaps cognate with Lithuanian raju "to pluck out," German roden "to root out").

1. Critics have accused him of rabble-rousing.

評論家譴責他煽動群眾。

來自柯林斯例句

2. a speech that appealed to the rabble

感染賤民的演講

來自《權威詞典》

3. They formed an army out of rabble.

他們用烏合之眾組成一支軍隊.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》

4. In 40 years, the Guards' Polo Club has changed, but it has managed to keep most of the rabble out.

40年間，御林軍馬球俱樂部雖有變化，但卻一直成功地把絕大多數下層民眾拒之門外。

來自柯林斯例句

5. He has helped to transform the party from a disorganised, demoralised rabble into a force which must again be taken seriously.

他幫助把該政黨從一群組織渙散、意志消沉的烏合之眾打造成了一只不容小覷的力量。

來自柯林斯例句