warble

1
[ wawr-buh l ]
/ ˈwɔr bəl /

verb (used without object), war·bled, war·bling.

verb (used with object), war·bled, war·bling.

to sing (an aria or other selection) with trills, quavers, or melodious turns.
to express or celebrate in or as if in song; carol.

noun

a warbled song or succession of melodic trills, quavers, etc.
the act of warbling.

Origin of warble

1
1300–50; Middle English werble a tune < Old North French < Germanic; compare Old High German werbel something that turns, equivalent to werb- (cognate with Old English hweorf- in hweorfan to turn) + -el noun suffix

Example sentences from the Web for warbling

British Dictionary definitions for warbling (1 of 2)

warble 1
/ (ˈwɔːbəl) /

verb

to sing (words, songs, etc) with trills, runs, and other embellishments
(tr) to utter in a song
US another word for yodel

noun

the act or an instance of warbling

Word Origin for warble

C14: via Old French werbler from Germanic; compare Frankish hwirbilōn (unattested), Old High German wirbil whirlwind; see whirl

British Dictionary definitions for warbling (2 of 2)

warble 2
/ (ˈwɔːbəl) /

noun vet science

a small lumpy abscess under the skin of cattle caused by infestation with larvae of the warble fly
a hard tumorous lump of tissue on a horse's back, caused by prolonged friction of a saddle

Derived forms of warble

warbled, adjective

Word Origin for warble

C16: of uncertain origin