Hypertext Webster Gateway: "garbled"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Garble \Gar"ble\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Garbled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Garbling}.] [Formerly, to pick out, sort, OF. grabeler, for
garbeler to examine precisely, garble spices, fr. LL.
garbellare to sift; cf. Sp. garbillar to sift, garbillo a
coarse sieve, L. cribellum, dim. of cribrum sieve, akin to
cernere to separate, sift (cf. E. {Discern}); or perh. rather
from Ar. gharb[=a]l, gharbil, sieve.]
1. To sift or bolt, to separate the fine or valuable parts of
from the coarse and useless parts, or from dros or dirt;
as, to garble spices. [Obs.]
2. To pick out such parts of as may serve a purpose; to
mutilate; to pervert; as, to garble a quotation; to garble
an account.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
garbled
adj : lacking orderly continuity; "a confused set of
instructions"; "a confused dream about the end of the
world"; "disconnected fragments of a story"; "scattered
thoughts" [syn: {confused}, {disconnected}, {disjointed},
{disordered}, {illogical}, {scattered}, {unconnected}]
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