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

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

noun

garbles

The act or result of garbling.

Webster's New World

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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