swingle
/ˈswɪŋ(ɡ)əl/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.79 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The swinging part of a flail, especially that which is used on the grain in threshing; the swipple.
verb
To beat or flog, especially for extracting the fibres from flax stalks; to scutch.
Transitive verb
name
A surname.
Example Sentences
- "The pole of the Chinese flail is roughly 90 cm. long, the swingle about 30 cm. in length, joined to the pole by a wooden axle projecting at right-angles from the top of the swingle and passing through a loop at the top of the pole[…]"
- "(A flail swingle was a large wooden handle attached to a freeswinging stick, which was used in threshing grain.)"
- "Once cut into the correct size and shape, the handle of the flail, dumb in bendum 'unspeaking in bonds' (6b), is attached to the swingle or swipple, the swinging part of the flail, with a cord, rope, or chain tied through the hole or[…]"
- "Now after you have swingled your Hempe and Flaxe ouer once, you shall take and shake up the refuse stuffe, which you beate from the same seuerally, and not only it, but the tops and knots, and halfe brak't buns which fall from the brake also, and drying them againe cause them to bee very well thresht with flayles, and then mixing them with th refuse which fell from the swingle tree, dresse them all well with threshing and shaking, till the buns be cleane driuen out of them;"
- "The instruments necessary to swingle flax are, a tressel, and a swingle."
- "The first operation in dressing flax is to swingle or beat it, in order to detach it from the harle or skimps."
Etymology
The noun is from Middle English swingel, from Old English swingel, swingelle (“whip, scourge”), equivalent to swing + -le. Related to Middle Dutch swingel, swengel, Dutch zwingel, zwengel. Doublet of swingel. The verb is from Middle English swingelen, from the noun. Related to Middle Dutch swingelen, swengelen.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Usage
- Transitive verb
- British usage
- Obsolete