Garble Definition

gärbəl
garbled, garbles, garbling
verb
garbled, garbles, garbling
To mix up or distort to such an extent as to make misleading or incomprehensible.
The report garbled all the historical facts.
American Heritage
To sort by sifting.
Webster's New World
To select the best parts of.
Webster's New World
To suppress or distort parts of (a story, etc.) in telling, so as to mislead or misrepresent.
Webster's New World
To confuse or mix up (a quotation, story, message, etc.) unintentionally, as through inaccurate copying or poor radio transmission.
Webster's New World
noun
garbles
The act or result of garbling.
Webster's New World

(obsolete) Refuse; rubbish.

Wiktionary

(obsolete) Impurities separated from spices, drugs, etc.; garblings.

Wiktionary

Origin of Garble

  • Middle English garbelen to inspect and remove refuse from spices from Anglo-Norman garbeler to sift, and from Medieval Latin garbellāre both from Arabic ġarbala to select from ġirbāl sieve from Late Latin crībellum diminutive of Latin crībrum krei- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Anglo-Norman garbeler (“to sift”), from Medieval Latin garbellare, from Arabic غربل (ğárbala, “to sift”).

    From Wiktionary

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