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swingle

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swingle¹

  • /ˈswɪŋ(ɡ)əl/
  • /ˈswɪnd͡ʒəl/

Rhymes with -ɪŋəl, -ɪŋɡəl, -ɪndʒəl

Where it comes from

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.

noun swingles

  1. An implement used to separate the fibres of flax by beating them; a scutch.
  2. The swinging part of a flail, especially that which is used on the grain in threshing; the swipple. 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[…]

verb swingles · swingling · swingled

  1. transitive To beat or flog, especially for extracting the fibres from flax stalks; to scutch. 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 thresh

swingle²

  • /ˈswɪŋ(ɡ)əl/

Rhymes with -ɪŋəl, -ɪŋɡəl

verb swingles · swingling · swingled

  1. To dangle; to wave hanging.
  2. UK, dialectal, obsolete To swing for pleasure.

Swingle³

Rhymes with -ɪŋɡəl

proper noun Swingles

  1. A surname.

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Cite this
MLA

"swingle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/swingle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

swingle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/swingle

Chicago

"swingle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/swingle.

BibTeX
@misc{swingle_2026,
  title = {swingle},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/swingle},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}