gargle

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑ(ɹ)ɡəl/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)ɡəl
• Homophone: goggle (non-rhotic, father-bother merger)

Etymology 1

From French gargouiller (“to gargle”), from Old French gargouille, gargole (“gutter, throat”). Compare gargoyle and Spanish garganta. Displaced Middle English gargargisen (“to gargle”) from Latin, and native Old English swillan (“to gargle”) (> English swill)..

Verb

gargle (third-person singular simple present gargles, present participle gargling, simple past and past participle gargled)

Examples (a gargling sound)

1. (intransitive) to clean one's mouth by holding water or some other liquid in the back of the mouth and blowing air out from the lungs
   • 1915, Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark:

     She hated the poisoned feeling in her throat, and no matter how often she gargled she felt unclean and disgusting.

2. (intransitive) to make a sound like the one made while gargling
3. (transitive) to clean a specific part of the body by gargling (almost always throat or mouth)
   • 1893, Gilbert Parker, Mrs. Falchion:

     They don't gargle their throats with anything stronger than coffee at this tavern.

4. (transitive) to use (a liquid) for purposes of cleaning one's mouth or throat by gargling.

   Every morning he gargled a little cheap Scotch.

5. (slang, transitive) to perform oral sex on (a person or genitals).
   • 2004 December 1, “Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset”, in South Park, season 8, episode 12:

     I'd like to gargle his marbles.

Translations

to clean one's mouth

• Arabic: تَمَضْمَضَ (tamaḍmaḍa), غَرْغَرَ (ḡarḡara)

  Hijazi Arabic: اتْمَضْمَض (atmaḍmaḍ)

• Bulgarian: правя гаргара (pravja gargara)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 漱口 (zh) (shùkǒu), 漱 (zh) (shù)

• Czech: kloktat
• Dutch: gorgelen (nl)
• Esperanto: gargari
• Finnish: kurlata
• French: se gargariser (fr)
• Georgian: ყელის გამოვლება (q̇elis gamovleba)
• German: gurgeln (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: γαργαρίζω (gargarízō)

• Gujarati: કોગળો કરવું (kogaḷo karvũ)
• Hungarian: gargarizál (hu)
• Japanese: うがいをする (ja) (ugai o suru)
• Maori: whakararā
• Old English: swillan
• Persian: غرغره کردن (ğerğere kardan)
• Portuguese: gargarejar (pt)
• Russian: полоска́ть (ru) impf (poloskátʹ), прополоска́ть (ru) pf (propoloskátʹ) (го́рло (górlo) "throat" OR рот (rot) "mouth")
• Slovak: kloktať
• Spanish: hacer gárgaras, gargarizar (es)
• Tagalog: magmumog
• Tamil: பிளிர் (piḷir)
• Telugu: పుక్కిలించు (te) (pukkiliñcu)
• Thai: กลั้ว (th) (glûua)

to make such a sound

• Czech: kloktat
• Dutch: gorgelen (nl)
• Finnish: kurluttaa
• German: gurgeln (de)
• Hungarian: gargarizál (hu)
• Maori: whakararā
• Russian: издава́ть бу́лькающий звук (izdavátʹ búlʹkajuščij zvuk)

to clean a specific part of the body by gargling

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 洗漱 (zh) (xǐshù)

• Finnish: kurlata

to use a liquid for purposes of gargling

• Finnish: kurlata (+ adessive)
• French: gargariser (fr), faire des gargarismes
• Maori: whakararā, whakararā rongoā

Noun

gargle (countable and uncountable, plural gargles)

1. A liquid used for gargling.
   • 1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], chapter XXIV, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 230-231:

     But the case was pressing, and the nearest medical practitioner was sent for. On examining the throat, he expressed his desire that a physician should be called in, and accordingly a gentleman, duly authorized, made his appearance, and prescribed gargles and diluents secundem artem.

   • 1861, Young's Demonstrative Translation of Scientific Secrets:

     Take of borax 1 drm., tinc. of myrrh 1/2 oz., clarified honey 1 oz., rose or distilled water, 4 oz.; mix. To be used as a gargle or mouth wash in sore mouth or affection of the gums.

2. (countable) The sound or act of gargling.
3. (slang, countable, uncountable) Lager or other alcoholic drink.

Synonyms

• mouthwash

Derived terms

• gargle-factory

Translations

liquid

• Czech: kloktadlo (cs) n
• Dutch: gorgeldrank
• Esperanto: gargaraĵo
• Finnish: kurlausneste
• French: gargarisme (fr) m
• German: Gurgellösung f, Gurgelwasser n
• Greek: γαργάρα (el) f (gargára)
• Maori: rongoā whakararā
• Persian: غرغره (fa) (ğerğere)
• Russian: жи́дкость для полоска́ния го́рла f (žídkostʹ dlja poloskánija górla)

sound

• Bulgarian: гаргара (bg) f (gargara)
• Finnish: kurlaus
• Greek: γαργάρα (el) f (gargára)
• Persian: غرغره (fa) (ğerğere)
• Spanish: gárgara (es) f
• Yoruba: ṣùkùṣùkù

Etymology 2

Noun

gargle (plural gargles)

1. Obsolete form of gargoyle.

Anagrams

• gregal, lagger, raggle