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View synonyms for warble

warble

1

[ wawr-buhl ]

verb (used without object)

, war·bled, war·bling.
  1. to sing or whistle with trills, quavers, or melodic embellishments:

    The canary warbled most of the day.

  2. to yodel.
  3. (of electronic equipment) to produce a continuous sound varying regularly in pitch and frequency.


verb (used with object)

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

noun

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

warble

2

[ wawr-buhl ]

noun

, Veterinary Pathology.
  1. a small, hard tumor on a horse's back, produced by the galling of the saddle.
  2. a lump in the skin of an animal's back, containing the larva of a warble fly.

warble

1

/ ˈwɔːbəl /

noun

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


warble

2

/ ˈwɔːbəl /

verb

  1. to sing (words, songs, etc) with trills, runs, and other embellishments
  2. tr to utter in a song
  3. See yodel
    another word for yodel

noun

  1. the act or an instance of warbling

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Derived Forms

  • ˈwarbled, adjective

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Other Words From

  • warbled adjective
  • un·warbled adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of warble1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun werble, warble “a tune,” from Old North French, from Germanic; compare Old High German werbel “something that turns”

Origin of warble2

First recorded in 1575–85; origin uncertain; compare Middle Swedish varbulde “boil”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of warble1

C16: of uncertain origin

Origin of warble2

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

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Example Sentences

It rose with a low, clear, deliberate warble, and seemed to float in the gray sky like the note of a lark.

Their subdued warble may be heard during October and later, as if the birds were humming to themselves.

Shrill and re-echoing through the narrow passage came the flute-like warble which Jacob knew only too well.

Petticoat told her that his mother had been living with him, but had fled incontinently on hearing a description of Warble.

The car was a museum piece, and as Warble caromed into its cushions she felt that her lines had fallen in pleasant places.

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Related Words

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tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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War Between the Stateswarble fly