noun, masculine/ʃa.ʁa.bja/plural: charabias
double Dutch; gibberish; Auvergnat dialect; An Auvergnat person
“Qu'est-ce que c'est que ce charabia?” — What is this gibberish?
Attested since at least 1838, originally to denote the incomprehensible talk of Auvergnats. The further etymology is uncertain. It's believed to possibly mimick a perceived Auvergnat pronunciation of /s/ as /ʃ/. Others theorize it's derived from Occitan charrar (“to chatter”), or Franco-Provençal charabarat (horse market). A borrowing from Spanish algarabía has been theorized but deemed less likely from a phonetic and geographic perspective.