Meanings
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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.
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2
noun
a melodious trill or a sequence of notes that rises and falls
The robin's bright warble carried across the garden.
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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.
Thesaurus
Etymology
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.