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Warble
Definitions
- 1 The sound of one who warbles; singing with trills or modulations. countable, uncountable
"The blackbirds and robins and and^([sic]) tits and finches shout at each other, chups and warbles and chirrups that, loosely translated, mean “Fancy a shag?”, “Get OFF my land” or “I’ve got a great big tonker.”"
- 2 A lesion under the skin of cattle, caused by the larva of a bot fly of genus Hypoderma.
- 3 a lumpy abscess under the hide of domestic mammals caused by larvae of a botfly or warble fly wordnet
- 4 In naval mine warfare, the process of varying the frequency of sound produced by a narrowband noisemaker to ensure that the frequency to which the mine will respond is covered. countable, uncountable
- 5 A small hard swelling on a horse's back, caused by the galling of the saddle.
- 1 To modulate a tone's frequency. transitive
- 2 sing by changing register; sing by yodeling wordnet
- 3 To sing like a bird, especially with trills. transitive
"Her voice more sweet than warbling sound, Tho’ sung by nightingale or lark, Her eyes such lustre dart around, Compar’d to them the sun is dark."
- 4 sing or play with trills, alternating with the half note above or below wordnet
- 5 To cause to quaver or vibrate. transitive
"touch the warbled string"
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- 6 To be quavered or modulated; to be uttered melodiously. intransitive
"The wailings of a maiden I recite, / A maiden fair, that Sparabella hight. / Such ſtrains ne'er warble in the linnet's throat, / Nor the gay goldfinch chaunts ſo ſweet a note, [...]"
Etymology
Perhaps onomatopoeic.
Perhaps onomatopoeic.
From Middle English werble (at least for the noun), from Frankish *werbel (mole cricket), cognate to Walloon waerbea.
See also for "warble"
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