Gaggled

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To produce a chaotic sound reminiscent of a group of geese while engaging in tumultuous discourse with others and displaying erratic movement indicative of disorderly gatherings
2. To emit a loud and chaotic noise akin to a gaggle of geese while participating in rambunctious chatter and exhibiting disordered physical movement typical of such gatherings
3. To behave in a noisy and disorderly manner similar to a group of geese in chaotic assembly

Etymology: "Gaggled" is simply the past tense and past participle of "gaggle," so its history is the history of the verb it comes from. That verb descends from Middle English "gagelen," meaning to cackle, or to cackle like a goose, and the sound it imitates is the harsh, honking noise geese make. The same root shows up across the North Sea: Dutch has "gaggelen," meaning to cackle, and Icelandic has "gagl," a small goose or gosling, while Norwegian Nynorsk uses "gagl" for a wild goose. The noun "gaggle" came to mean a flock of geese on the ground, and the verb followed that picture. Its past forms therefore describe a noisy group of birds, or of people, all talking at once in the way a flock of geese honks.

Synonyms: honked, squawked