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
Words nearby warble
waragi,
warangal,
waratah,
warb,
warbeck,
warble,
warble fly,
warbler,
warbling vireo,
warburg,
warchalking
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, adjectiveWord Origin for warble
C16: of uncertain origin