garble English · revision 1897

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈɡɑː(ɹ)bəl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It comes from Middle English ''garbelen'' “to sift impurities from spices”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(RHWU) [[der|xno|garbeler|t=to sift]]^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) and [[der|la-med|garbellare]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) [[der|ar|غربل|tr=ḡarbala|t=to sift]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) related to ''ġirbāl'' “sieve”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) which is perhaps from [[la-lat|cribellum]], a diminutive of [[la|cribrum|t=sieve]].^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) Barnhart and Etymonline note that the word was widespread among Mediterranean traders.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To inspect spices and remove the dirt and refuse from them (1419–20 in Barnhart, early 15th century in Etymonline).^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(AHD)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Spices and drugs imported from the eastern Mediterranean often contained chaff, which had to be sifted out.^(Etymonline) From sifting spices the verb passed to selecting the best of anything (1483),^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) and to weeding out unwanted members of a body.^(OED 1989) By 1689–92 it meant to make unfair or mischievous selections from a statement or writing, so as to distort its meaning;^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) from this came the sense of mixing up or confusing language,^(Etymonline)^(AHD)^(RHWU) and later of scrambling a signal or message.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1419–20 – to remove refuse from spices.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1483 – to pick out the best.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1502 – noun, refuse removed from spices.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1689–92 – to distort by unfair selection.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1829 – noun, of language (Etymonline).^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To mix up or [[distort]] so as to make misleading or incomprehensible.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To scramble a signal or message, as by faulty [[encode|alt=encoding]] or transmission.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(archaic)'' To sift impurities from; to [[cull]] or pick out the best of.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # An act or instance of garbling.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Impurities sifted from spices.^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[garbler]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[garbage]]

+ * [[certain]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}