yodel
or yo·dle
[ yohd-l ]
/ ˈyoʊd l /
verb (used with or without object), yo·deled, yo·del·ing, or (especially British) yo·delled, yo·del·ling.
to sing with frequent changes from the ordinary voice to falsetto and back again, in the manner of Swiss and Tyrolean mountaineers.
to call or shout in a similar fashion.
noun
a song, refrain, etc., so sung.
a call or shout so uttered.
Nearby words
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. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for yodeler
yodel
/ (ˈjəʊdəl) /
noun
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
verb -dels, -delling or -delled or US -dels, -deling or -deled
to sing (a song) in which a yodel is used
Derived Formsyodeller, noun
Word Origin for yodel
C19: from German jodeln, of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for yodeler
yodel
1827, from German jodeln, from dialectal German jo, an exclamation of joy, of imitative origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper