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yodel

or yo·dle

[yohd-l]
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verb (used with or without object), yo·deled, yo·del·ing, or (especially British) yo·delled, yo·del·ling.
  1. to sing with frequent changes from the ordinary voice to falsetto and back again, in the manner of Swiss and Tyrolean mountaineers.
  2. to call or shout in a similar fashion.
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noun
  1. a song, refrain, etc., so sung.
  2. a call or shout so uttered.
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Origin of yodel

First recorded in 1865–70, yodel is from the German word jodeln
Related formsyo·del·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for yodeler

yodel

noun
  1. an effect produced in singing by an abrupt change of register from the chest voice to falsetto, esp in popular folk songs of the Swiss Alps
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verb -dels, -delling or -delled or US -dels, -deling or -deled
  1. to sing (a song) in which a yodel is used
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Derived Formsyodeller, noun

Word Origin

C19: from German jodeln, of imitative origin
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

Word Origin and History for yodeler

yodel

1827, from German jodeln, from dialectal German jo, an exclamation of joy, of imitative origin.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper