dribble (v.)

1580s, "let fall in drops or bits;" 1590s (intransitive) "fall in drops or small particles," frequentative of obsolete verb drib (1520s), a variant of drip (v.). The sports sense "give the ball a slight shove or bounce" first was used in soccer (1863), the basketball sense is by 1892 (implied in dribbling). Related: Dribbled. As a noun from 1670s.