Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “garble” come from?

garble (English) comes from Old French garbeler, from Latin garbellare, from Arabic غَرْبَلَ — to sift.

garble (English): To pick out such parts as may serve a purpose;...

Definitions

  1. To pick out such parts as may serve a purpose;...

Ancestry of “garble”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchgarbelerto garble
2Latingarbellare—
3Arabicغَرْبَلَto sift

Words derived from “garble”

  • garbling
  • garbler
  • garbly
  • garblement
  • ungarble
Every word from Arabic غَرْبَلَ →