Garbelling
/ˈɡɑːr.bəl.ɪŋ/noun
The act of sorting, sifting, or selecting material, especially to remove impurities or inferior portions.
Did you know?In medieval trade, garbling commonly meant inspecting and cleaning spices, drugs, and other valuable goods before sale; its meaning later shifted toward confusing or distorting information.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
gharbala
“To sift or pass through a sieve.”
Medieval Italian
Italian
garbellare
“To sift, sort, or cleanse goods of impurities.”
13th–14th Century
Old French
garbel
“A sieve, or the act of sorting and cleansing merchandise.”
14th Century
Middle English
garbelen
“To inspect, sift, or remove inferior material from goods.”
Modern English
English
garbelling
“The act of garbling in its older sense: sorting or sifting; also the process associated with garble in its later sense of distortion.”