This week's theme
Words that have changed with time

This week's words
harbinger
obsequious
restive
garble
pabulum

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(GAHR-buhl)

MEANING:

verb tr.: To distort a message, document, transmission, etc.
noun: An instance of garbling.

ETYMOLOGY:

Originally the word meant to sift, for example to remove refuse from spices. With time its meaning became distorted to what it is now. From Old Italian garbellare (to sift), from Arabic gharbala (to select). Earliest documented use: 1483.

USAGE:

"Divers can 'talk' under water but as they are unable to move their lips freely due to their mouthpieces the words are garbled."
Deep; The Helsinki Times (Finland); Jul 19, 2014.

See more usage examples of garble in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: