warble

(wôrbəl)

transitive verb warbled, warbling

  1. to sing (a song, notes, etc.) melodiously, with trills, quavers, runs, etc., as a bird does
  2. to express in song

Origin: ME werblen < NormFr werbler < Frank *wirbilon, akin to Ger wirbeln, to whirl, warble

intransitive verb

  1. to sing melodiously, with trills, etc.
  2. to make a musical sound; babble, as a stream does
  3. ☆ yodel

noun

  1. the act of warbling
  2. a warbling sound; trill

noun

  1. a small, hard tumor on the back of a horse, caused by the rubbing and pressing of a saddle
  2. a lump or swelling under the hide of an animal, esp. on the back, caused by the presence of a larva of a botfly, esp. a warble fly

Origin: prob. < Scand, as in obs. Swed varbulde, a boil < var, pus + bulde, tumor

Related Forms:

See warble in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb war·bled, war·bling, war·bles
verb, transitive
To sing (a note or song, for example) with trills, runs, or other melodic embellishments.
verb, intransitive
  1. To sing with trills, runs, or quavers.
  2. To be sounded in a trilling or quavering manner.
noun
The act or an instance of singing with trills, runs, or quavers.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English werbelen

Origin: , from Old North French werbler

Origin: , of Germanic origin

.

noun
  1. a. An abscessed boillike swelling on the back of cattle, deer, and certain other animals, caused by the larva of a warble fly.
    b. The warble fly, especially in its larval stage.
  2. A hard lump of tissue on a riding horse's back caused by rubbing of the saddle.

Origin:

Origin: Probably of Scandinavian origin

Origin: ; akin to obsolete Swedish varbulde

.

Learn more about warble

link/cite print suggestion box