juggle
/ˈd͡ʒʌɡəl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.02 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To manipulate objects, such as balls, clubs, beanbags, rings, etc. in an artful or artistic manner.
verb
To perform various magic tricks or circus skills such as the diabolo, devil sticks, hat, and cigar box manipulation.
Dated; Intransitive verb
Example Sentences
- "She can juggle flaming torches."
- "God alone knows where he came from, but he was in the camp one evening juggling for stray coppers in a bowl. Pretty good juggling too it seemed to be, of the usual Indian kind—growing a plant out of a pumpkin seed, turning a stick into a live snake, and the old sword and basket trick that every Eastern conjurer keeps up his sleeve; […]"
- "He juggled home, school, and work for two years."
- "I think they are juggling the company's books."
- "Is't possible the spells of France should juggle / Men into such strange mysteries?"
- "Be these juggling fiends no more believed."
Etymology
From Middle English jogelen, partly a back-formation of Middle English jogeler (“juggler”), and partly a borrowing from Old French jogler, jongler (“to have fun with someone”), a conflation of Latin joculāri (“to jest; joke”) and Old French jangler (“to regale; entertain; have fun; trifle with; tease; mess around; gossip; boast; meddle”), from Frankish *jangalōn (“to chit-chat with; gossip”), akin to Middle Dutch jankelen (“to murmur; whisper; mumble; grumble”), frequentative of Middle Dutch janken (“to moan; groan; complain”). Related also to Middle Low German janken (“to sigh; moan; lament”), Dutch jengelen (“to whine; whimper”) Dutch janken (“to whine; wimper”).