trill
1[ tril ]
/ trɪl /
Save This Word!
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.
Question 1 of 7
“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
Meet Grammar Coach
Improve Your Writing
Origin of trill
11635–45; <Italian trillo quaver or warble in singing ≪ Germanic; compare Dutch trillen to vibrate, late Middle English trillen to shake or rock (something)
Definition for trill (2 of 2)
trill2
[ tril ]
/ trɪl /
verb (used without object)
to flow in a thin stream; trickle.
verb (used with object)
to cause to flow in a thin stream.
Origin of trill
21300–50; Middle English trillen to make (something) turn, to roll, flow (said of tears, water) <Old Danish trijlæ to roll (said, e.g., of tears and of a wheelbarrow); compare Norwegian trille, Swedish trilla. See trill1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for trill
British Dictionary definitions for trill (1 of 2)
trill1
/ (trɪl) /
noun
music a melodic ornament consisting of a rapid alternation between a principal note and the note a whole tone or semitone above itUsual symbol: (written above a note) tr., tr
a shrill warbling sound, esp as made by some birds
phonetics
- the articulation of an (r) sound produced by holding the tip of the tongue close to the alveolar ridge, allowing the tongue to make a succession of taps against the ridge
- the production of a similar effect using the uvula against the back of the tongue
verb
to sound, sing, or play (a trill or with a trill)
(tr) to pronounce (an (r) sound) by the production of a trill
Word Origin for trill
C17: from Italian trillo, from trillare, apparently from Middle Dutch trillen to vibrate
British Dictionary definitions for trill (2 of 2)
Word Origin for trill
C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; related to Norwegian trilla to roll; see trill 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012