SCRAB'BLE, verb intransitive [Latin scribo, Eng. grave, engrave, etc. See Scrape.] 1. To scrape, paw or scratch with the hands; to move along on the hands and knees by clawing with the hands; to scramble; as, to scrabble up a cliff or a tree. [a word in common popular use in New England, but not elegant.] 2. To make irregular or crooked marks; as, children scrabble when they begin to write; hence, to make irregular and unmeaning marks. David - scrabbled on the doors of the gate. 1 Samuel 21:13. SCRAB'BLE, verb transitive To mark with irregular lines or letters; as, to scrabble paper.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI