garble

verb

gar·ble | \ ˈgär-bəl \

garbled; garbling\ ˈgär-b(ə-)liŋ \

Definition of garble

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 archaic : cull sense 1

2 : to sift impurities from

3a : to so alter or distort as to create a wrong impression or change the meaning garble a story

b : to introduce textual error into (a message) by inaccurate encipherment, transmission, or decipherment

garble

noun

Definition of garble (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the impurities removed from spices in sifting

2 : an act or an instance of garbling

Other Words from garble Synonyms The Winding History of Garble More Example Sentences Learn More about garble

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The Winding History of Garble

Verb

Garble developed from Late Latin cribellare, a verb meaning "to sift." Arabic speakers borrowed "cribellare" as "gharbala," and the Arabic word passed into Old Italian as garbellare; both of these words also meant "to sift." When the word first entered Middle English as "garbelen," its meaning stayed close to the original; it meant "to sort out the best." But that sort of sifting can cause a distortion, and in early Modern English "garble" came to mean "to distort the meaning or sound of."

Examples of garble in a Sentence

Verb

the candidate complained that his views had been deliberately garbled by his opponent garbled spices are less likely to contaminate a recipe

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

When there’s noise in the whale’s water, like a boat sound, some of the whale songs get garbled. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "What humpback whales can teach us about alien languages," 6 Dec. 2018 Siri often doesn't hear me correctly, so my texts get garbled. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "“Computer, lights:” How Ars staffers actually use voice-interactive bots," 3 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'garble.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for garble

Verb

Middle English garbelen "to remove impurites or refuse from (spices)," borrowed from Anglo-French garbeler, probably borrowed—directly or from Italian *garbellare (attested in Medieval Latin of Verona as garbellāre in 1319)—from Arabic gharbala "to sift, screen," derivative of ghirbāl "sieve," borrowed from Late Latin crībellum, diminutive of Latin crībrum "sieve" — more at riddle entry 3

Note: Presumably a word passed from Arabic to Mediterranean Europe through trade in Eastern spices. The earliest evidence of the Romance/Latin etymon is in a statute of the city of Marseille (recording both garbellare and garbellum "sieve, riddle") from 1269 (though there is apparently no corresponding word in Old Occitan). The French form garbalé (past participle of the verb) is attested in a document from Bruges in Flanders dated to 1304. Joan Coromines (Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico) believes the word was first adopted from Arabic in Catalonia, partly on the basis of the half-Catalan phrase grana assaonada "ripened grains [?]" used in the above-mentioned Marseille statute.

Noun

derivative of garble entry 1; in sense 1 perhaps in part borrowed from Italian garbello, noun derivative of garbellare

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