gurgle

English

WOTD – 6 July 2009

Etymology

Back formation from Middle English gurguling (“a rumbling in the belly”). Akin to Middle Dutch gorgelen (“to gurgle”), Middle Low German gorgelen (“to gurgle”), German gurgeln (“to gargle”), and perhaps to Latin gurguliō (“throat”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɜː.ɡl̩/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɝ.ɡl̩/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)ɡəl

Verb

gurgle (third-person singular simple present gurgles, present participle gurgling, simple past and past participle gurgled)

1. To flow with a bubbling sound.

   The bath water gurgled down the drain.

   • 1727, [Edward Young], “Satire V. On Women.”, in Love of Fame, the Universal Passion. In Seven Characteristical Satires, 4th edition, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson […], published 1741, →OCLC, page 97:

     Pure gurgling rills the lonely deſart trace, / And vvaſte their muſick on the ſavage race.

     An adjective use.

2. To make such a sound.

   Synonym: (Northern England) guttle

   The baby gurgled with delight.

Derived terms

• gurgler
• gurgly

Translations

to flow with a bubbling sound

• Arabic: غَرْغَرَ‎ (ḡarḡara), بَقْبَقَ‎ (baqbaqa)
• Armenian: կլկլալ (hy) (klklal), բլդբլդալ (hy) (bldbldal), կարկաչել (hy) (karkačʿel), պճպճալ (hy) (pčpčal)
• Bulgarian: бълбукам (bg) (bǎlbukam)
• Czech: bublat
• Finnish: kurluttaa
• Galician: gorgolexar
• German: gurgeln (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: κελαρύζω (kelarúzō)

• Hungarian: bugyborékol (hu)
• Italian: gorgogliare (it), fiottare, croccolare, bruire
• Maori: kokō
• Portuguese: gorgolejar
• Russian: бу́лькать (ru) (búlʹkatʹ), журча́ть (ru) (žurčátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: dèan glugan
• Swedish: gurgla (sv)
• Turkish: çağlamak (tr)

to make such a sound

• Czech: bublat
• Finnish: kurluttaa
• French: gargouiller (fr)
• Galician: gorgolexar
• German: gurgeln (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: τονθορύζω (tonthorúzō)

• Hebrew: גִּרְגֵּר‎ (he) (girgér)
• Hungarian: gurgulázik (hu)
• Maori: tatangi, kokō
• Norman: gargouoilli, dêgouglonner
• Norwegian: gurgle (no)
• Polish: bulgotać (pl) impf, gulgotać impf
• Portuguese: gorgolejar
• Russian: бу́лькать (ru) impf (búlʹkatʹ), бу́лькнуть (ru) pf (búlʹknutʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: dèan glugan
• Swedish: gurgla (sv)

Noun

gurgle (plural gurgles)

1. A gurgling sound.
   • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, chapter 4, in Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934:

     Then the conversation broke off, and there was little more talking, only a noise of men going backwards and forwards, and of putting down of kegs and the hollow gurgle of good liquor being poured from breakers into the casks.

Translations

gurgling sound

• Armenian: կլկլոց (hy) (klklocʿ), բլդբլդոց (hy) (bldbldocʿ)
• Bulgarian: бълбукане n (bǎlbukane)
• Czech: bublání n
• Finnish: kurlutus
• French: gargouillis (fr) m
• Galician: gorgolexo m, gorgolo m
• German: Gurgeln (de) n
• Italian: gorgoglio (it) m, gorgogliare (it) m, gorgoglìo m
• Japanese: ごぼごぼ (gobogobo)
• Maori: kokō
• Polish: bulgot, gulgot, bulgotanie (pl), gaworzenie (pl)
• Portuguese: gorgolejo m
• Russian: бу́льканье (ru) n (búlʹkanʹje)
• Scottish Gaelic: glugan m
• Spanish: gluglú
• Swedish: gurgel

Anagrams

• glurge, lugger

German

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

gurgle

1. inflection of gurgeln:
   1. first-person singular present
   2. singular imperative
   3. first/third-person singular subjunctive I