swingle

¹

[ swing-guhl ]

noun

1. a swipple.
2. a wooden instrument shaped like a large knife, for beating flax or hemp and scraping from it the woody or coarse portions.

verb (used with object)

, swin·gled, swin·gling.

1. to clean (flax or hemp) by beating and scraping with a swingle.

swingle

²

[ swing-guhl ]

noun

, Slang.

1. a single person who is highly active socially and sexually; an unmarried person who swings.

swingle

/ ˈswɪŋɡəl /

noun

1. a flat-bladed wooden instrument used for beating and scraping flax or hemp to remove coarse matter from it

verb

1. tr to use a swingle on

Other Words From

• un·swingled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of swingle¹

1275–1325; Middle English swingel, Old English swingell rod (cognate with Middle Dutch swinghel ), equivalent to swing- ( swing ¹ ) + -el instrumental suffix ( -le )

Origin of swingle²

1965–70, Americanism; blend of swing ¹ (in the slang sense “to engage freely and often in sexual activity”) and single

Word History and Origins

Origin of swingle¹

Old English swingel stroke; related to Middle High German swüngel, Middle Dutch swinghel

Example Sentences

Did you ever notice the swingle-tree of a carriage to which the horses are attached when drawing?

From Project Gutenberg

Prof. Walter Swingle offers his cooperation in experiments in propagation.

From Project Gutenberg

You could hear him above the chink of the swingle-bars and the drumming of our horses' hoofs on the miry road.

From Project Gutenberg

Either with the swingle-bar, or with the haunch of our near leader, we had struck the off-wheel of the little gig.

From Project Gutenberg

Fire Chief Swingle sent notice to the managers that all aisles must be kept cleared.

From Project Gutenberg