gaggle
/ˈɡæɡl̩/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.71 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any group or gathering of related things, particularly one perceived as noisy, boisterous or chaotic.
noun
Short for press gaggle: an informal briefing of journalists.
Example Sentences
- "The Canada geese always flew over the 80 acre lake; it was a landmark on their route and a stopping point for many a gaggle, where many hours were spent after feeding in the farmers' fields."
- "They're only referred to as a gaggle when they're on land. When they're flying in formation they can be referred to as a skein."
- "He told how the herons always came at St. Valentine's to Felborough Wood and Chilham, and how the terns came in screaming gaggles when September was ending, and where the squirrels' drays were mostly found, and where he had seen a cete of badgers."
- "A gaggle of gays—probably no more than 15 or so, but from our perspective there seemed to be literally scores of them—pranced, skipped and otherwise just plain camped their way into the last few rows of seats."
- "There were no signs and no one quite knew how to navigate the museum, including, as it was Fleet Week, gaggles of boyish sailors all in their summer whites. It looked like a Frank Sinatra movie."
- "The crow’s name was Betty. And she was on her way to stardom. A gaggle of Oxford University scientists watched in wonder as she casually picked up a piece of wire in her cage and then used a nearby object to bend it at one end, transforming the wire into a hooked tool."
Etymology
From Middle English gagelen (“to cackle; cackle like a goose”). Compare Dutch gaggelen (“to cackle”), Icelandic gagl (“small goose; gosling”), Norwegian Nynorsk gagl (“wild goose”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: gagelen