Word of the Day

: January 30, 2009

garble

verb GAR-bul

What It Means

1 : to sift impurities from

2 a : to so alter or distort as to create a wrong impression or change the meaning

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

garble in Context

Jim's stage debut was a success, for the most part, though he did garble a few of his lines in the opening scene.

Did You Know?

“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.”