warble

¹

[wawr-buhl]

verb (used without object)

warbled, warbling 

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)

warbled, warbling 

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 /

verb

1. to sing (words, songs, etc) with trills, runs, and other embellishments

2. (tr) to utter in a song

3. another word for yodel

noun

1. the act or an instance of warbling

warble

²

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• warbled adjective
• unwarbled adjective

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of warble¹

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

Origin of warble²

C16: of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

It sounds fantastic, and it’s so loyal to every jaunty warble that audiences might not notice.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"Socialism is good…" a pensioner warbles into a portable karaoke mic, slightly off-key and drowned out by her friends' chatter.

Read more on BBC

De Veer’s version of the theme eventually made it on-air for the inaugural season of “White Lotus” in 2021 and — thanks in part to its famous warbled war cries — quickly became a hit among fans.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Handel delights in the blaring trumpet, the warbling flute, the miracle of harmony, the capacity of music to tame the savage beast and offer revelations of the beyond.

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Sister Megan warbles softly at first, before putting the full might of her lungs and vocal cords behind the melody and lyrics.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• chirp 
• trill