warble

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to sing with trills or rapid, smooth variations in pitch, like a bird

   A blackbird began to warble from the top of the hedge.

2. 2
   noun

   a melodious trill or a sequence of notes that rises and falls

   The robin's bright warble carried across the garden.

3. 3
   noun

   veterinary medicine: a swelling under an animal's skin caused by the larva of a botfly

   The veterinarian removed a warble from the cow's back.

Common collocations

• warble fly Noun + noun

The musical word comes through Middle English werble from Picard Old French, from a Germanic verb related to whirl, reflecting turns and trills in melody. The veterinary noun is separate and probably Scandinavian, related to an old Swedish compound for a pus-filled swelling.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images