skirl

skirl Definition

skirl (skʉrl)

transitive verb, intransitive verb

Scot. to sound out in shrill, piercing tones, as a bagpipe does

Etymology: ME (northern) skrille, skyrle, prob. < Scand, as in Norw dial. skrylla, to scream: for IE base see shrill

noun

a shrill sound, as of a bagpipe

skirl Usage Examples

Preposition: of

bagpipes: In the days of border raids from Scotland into northern England, the skirl of bagpipes often meant ' The Cats are coming!
pipe: To the skirl of the pipes, guests can visit more than 30 rooms of the castle.

Converse of object

hear: Away in the distance we could hear the skirl of the bag pipes getting louder.

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