shrillness
adjective
1.
high-pitched and piercing in sound quality: a shrill cry.
2.
producing such a sound.
3.
full of or characterized by such a sound: shrill music.
4.
betraying some strong emotion or attitude in an exaggerated amount, as antagonism or defensiveness.
5.
marked by great intensity; keen: the shrill, incandescent light of the exploding bomb.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
6.
to cry shrilly.
00:10
Shrillness
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
noun
7.
a shrill sound.
adverb
8.
in a shrill manner; shrilly.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English shrille (adj., v.); akin to Old English scrallettan to sound loudly; cognate with German schrill (adj.), schrillen (v.); compare Old Norse skrīll rabble
1300–50; Middle English shrille (adj., v.); akin to Old English scrallettan to sound loudly; cognate with German schrill (adj.), schrillen (v.); compare Old Norse skrīll rabble
Related forms
shrill·ness, noun
shril·ly, adverb
out·shrill, verb (used with object)
un·shrill, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To shrillness
Collins
World English Dictionary
shrill (ʃrɪl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | sharp and high-pitched in quality |
| 2. | emitting a sharp high-pitched sound |
| —vb | |
| 3. | to utter (words, sounds, etc) in a shrill tone |
| 4. | rare (tr) to cause to produce a shrill sound |
| [C14: probably from Old English scralletan; related to German schrill shrill, Dutch schrallen to shriek] | |
| 'shrillness | |
| —n | |
| 'shrilly | |
| —adv | |
| shrill (ʃrɪl) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | sharp and high-pitched in quality |
| 2. | emitting a sharp high-pitched sound |
| —vb | |
| 3. | to utter (words, sounds, etc) in a shrill tone |
| 4. | rare (tr) to cause to produce a shrill sound |
| [C14: probably from Old English scralletan; related to German schrill shrill, Dutch schrallen to shriek] | |
| 'shrillness | |
| —n | |
| 'shrilly | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
shrill
late 14c., schrylle "high-pitched, piercing" (of the voice), probably related to O.E. scralletan "to sound loudly," of imitative origin (cf. Low Ger. schrell, Ger. schrill "piercing, shrill"). The verb sense of "to sound shrilly" is recorded from c.1300.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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