'gargle' originates from French, specifically the word 'gargouiller,' where 'garg-' meant 'throat' and '-ouiller' meant 'to bubble or gurgle.'

'gargouiller' transformed into the English word 'gargle' during the late Middle English period.

Initially, it meant 'to make a bubbling sound in the throat,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'to rinse the throat.'