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Origin and history of jangle

jangle(v.)

c. 1300, jangeln, "to talk excessively, chatter, talk idly" (intransitive), from Old French jangler "to chatter, gossip, bawl, argue noisily" (12c.), perhaps from Frankish *jangelon "to jeer" or some other Germanic source (compare Middle Dutch jangelen "to whine," Low German janken "to yell, howl"), probably imitative (compare Latin equivalent gannire).

The meaning "make harsh noise" is attested by late 15c. The transitive sense of "cause to emit discordant or harsh sounds" is from c. 1600. Related: Jangled; jangling. Chaucer has jangler "idle talker, a gossip."

jangle(n.)

late 13c., "gossip, slanderous conversation, dispute," from Old French jangle "idle chatter, grumbling, nagging," from jangler (see jangle (v.)). Meaning "discordant sound" is from 1795.

also from late 13c.

Entries linking to jangle

jangly(adj.)

1858, from jangle (n.) + -y (2).

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    jingle
    "emit tinkling metallic sounds," late 14c., gingeln, of imitative origin; compare tinkle (v.), Dutch jengelen, German klingeln (from Old High German klingilon (8c.), a frequentative of klingen). "There does not appear any original association with jangle" [OED]. Transitive sense
    sound
    "noise, what is heard, sensation produced through the ear," late 13c., soun, from Old French son "sound, musical note, voice," from Latin sonus "sound, a noise," from PIE *swon-o-, from root *swen- "to sound." The unetymological -d was established c. 1350-1550 (see D). Sound-boar
    noise
    c. 1200, "sound of a musical instrument;" mid-13c., "loud speech, outcry, clamor, shouting;" c. 1300, "a sound of any kind from any source," especially a loud and disagreeable sound, from Old French noise "din, disturbance, uproar, brawl" (11c., in modern French only in phrase ch
    resound
    late 14c., resownen, resounen, of a place, "re-echo, sound back, return an echo; reverberate with," from Anglo-French resuner, Old French resoner "reverberate" (12c., Modern French résonner), from Latin resonare "sound again, resound, echo" (source also of Spanish resonar, Italia
    anxious
    1620s, "greatly troubled by uncertainties," from Latin anxius "solicitous, uneasy, troubled in mind" (also "causing anxiety, troublesome"), from angere, anguere "to choke, squeeze," figuratively "to torment, cause distress" (from PIE root *angh- "tight, painfully constricted, pai
    heaven
    Old English heofon "home of God," earlier "the visible sky, firmament," probably from Proto-Germanic *hibin-, a dissimilation of *himin- (source also of Low German heben, Old Norse himinn, Gothic himins, Old Frisian himul, Dutch hemel, German Himmel "heaven, sky"), which is of un
    shower
    Middle English shour, from Old English scur, scura "a short fall of rain, storm, tempest; fall of missiles or blows; struggle, commotion; breeze," from Proto-Germanic *skuraz (source also of Old Norse skur, Old Saxon and Old Frisian scur "fit of illness;" Old High German scur, Ge
    jealous
    c. 1200, gelus, later jelus, "possessive and suspicious," originally in the context of sexuality or romance (in any context from late 14c.), from Old French jalos/gelos "keen, zealous; avaricious; jealous" (12c., Modern French jaloux), from Late Latin zelosus, from zelus "zeal,"
    crucible
    early 15c., crusible, "vessel or melting pot for chemical purposes, so tempered as to endure extreme heat," from Medieval Latin crucibulum "melting pot for metals," originally "night lamp." First element might be Middle High German kruse "earthen pot." Or perhaps it is from Latin

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