different between garble vs muffle

English

Etymology

From Middle English garbelen, from Anglo-Norman garbeler (“to sift”), from Medieval Latin garbellare (or a similar Italian word), from Arabic ????????? (?arbala, “to sift”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /????(?)b?l/
• Rhymes: -??(?)b?l

Verb

garble (third-person singular simple present garbles, present participle garbling, simple past and past participle garbled)

1. To pick out such parts (of a text) as may serve a purpose; to mutilate; to pervert
2. To make false by mutilation or addition [from 17th c.]

3. (obsolete) To sift or bolt, to separate the fine or valuable parts of from the coarse and useless parts, or from dross or dirt [14th–19th c.]

Derived terms

• garbley gook

Translations

Noun

garble (countable and uncountable, plural garbles)

1. Confused or unintelligible speech.
   • 1976, Boating (volume 40, numbers 1-2, page 152)

     The FCC says it decided to attempt standardization of VHF receivers after getting "thousands of complaints" from disgruntled boatmen who found their sets brought in mostly a lot of garble and static.

2. (obsolete) Refuse; rubbish.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Wolcott to this entry?)

3. (obsolete) Impurities separated from spices, drugs, etc.; garblings.

Further reading

• garble in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• garble in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• Gabler, Grable, garbel

English

Etymology

From Middle English muflen (“to muffle”), aphetic alteration of Anglo-Norman amoufler, from Old French enmoufler (“to wrap up, muffle”), from moufle (“mitten”), from Medieval Latin muffula (“a muff”), of Germanic origin (—first recorded in the Capitulary of Aachen in 817 C.E.), from Frankish *muffël (“a muff, wrap, envelope”) from *mauwa (“sleeve, wrap”) (from Proto-Germanic *maww? (“sleeve”)) + *vël (“skin, hide”) (from Proto-Germanic *fell? (“skin, film, fleece”). Alternate etymology traces the Medieval Latin word to Frankish *molfell (“soft garment made of hide”) from *mol (“softened, forworn”) (akin to Old High German molaw?n (“to soften”), Middle High German molwic (“soft”), English mulch) + *fell (“hide, skin”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m?fl?/
• Rhymes: -?f?l

Noun

muffle (plural muffles)

1. Anything that mutes or deadens sound.
2. A warm piece of clothing for the hands.
3. (slang, archaic) A boxing glove.
4. A kiln or furnace, often electric, with no direct flames (a muffle furnace)
5. The bare end of the nose between the nostrils, especially in ruminants.
6. A machine with two pulleys to hoist load by spinning wheels, polyspast, block and tackle.

Translations

Verb

muffle (third-person singular simple present muffles, present participle muffling, simple past and past participle muffled)

1. (transitive) To wrap (a person, face etc.) in fabric or another covering, for warmth or protection; often with up.

   • The face lies muffled up within the garment.

   • He muffled with a cloud his mournful eyes.

   • 1712, John Arbuthnot, The History of John Bull

     muffled up in darkness and superstition

2. (transitive) To wrap up or cover (a source of noise) in order to deaden the sound.

   to muffle the strings of a drum, or that part of an oar which rests in the rowlock

3. (transitive) To mute or deaden (a sound etc.).
   • 1999, George RR Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam 2011, p. 397:

     The singer's voice was muffled by the thick walls, yet Tyrion knew the verse.

4. (intransitive, dated) To speak indistinctly, or without clear articulation.
5. (transitive, dated) To prevent seeing, or hearing, or speaking, by wraps bound about the head; to blindfold; to deafen.

Translations