TRILL

trill, shake

(noun) a note that alternates rapidly with another note a semitone above it

trill

(noun) the articulation of a consonant (especially the consonant ‘r’) with a rapid flutter of the tongue against the palate or uvula; “he pronounced his R’s with a distinct trill”

warble, trill, quaver

(verb) sing or play with trills, alternating with the half note above or below

trill

(verb) pronounce with a trill, of the phoneme ‘r’; “Some speakers trill their r’s”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

trill (plural trills)

(music) A rapid alternation between an indicated note and the one above it, in musical notation usually indicated with the letters tr written above the staff.

(phonetics) A type of consonantal sound that is produced by vibrations of the tongue against the place of articulation: for example, Spanish rr.

A tremulous high-pitched vocal sound produced by cats.

Verb

trill (third-person singular simple present trills, present participle trilling, simple past and past participle trilled)

(intransitive) To create a trill sound; to utter trills or a trill; to play or sing in tremulous vibrations of sound; to have a trembling sound; to quaver.

(transitive) To impart the quality of a trill to; to utter as, or with, a trill.

Synonyms

• roll

Etymology 2

Verb

trill (third-person singular simple present trills, present participle trilling, simple past and past participle trilled)

(intransitive, obsolete) To trickle.

Etymology 3

Verb

trill (third-person singular simple present trills, present participle trilling, simple past and past participle trilled)

(intransitive, obsolete) To twirl.

Source: Wiktionary


Trill, v. i. Etym: [OE. trillen to roll, turn round; of Scand. origin; cf. Sw. trilla to roll, Dan. trilde, Icel. þyrla to whirl, and E. thrill. Cf. Thrill.]

Definition: To flow in a small stream, or in drops rapidly succeeding each other; to trickle. Sir W. Scott. And now and then an ample tear trilled down Her delicate cheek. Shak. Whispered sounds Of waters, trilling from the riven stone. Glover.

Trill, v. t. Etym: [OE. trillen; cf. Sw. trilla to roll.]

Definition: To turn round; to twirl. [Obs.] Gascoigne. Bid him descend and trill another pin. Chaucer.

Trill, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Trilled; p. pr. & vb. n. Trilling.] Etym: [It. trillare; probably of imitative origin.]

Definition: To impart the quality of a trill to; to utter as, or with, a trill; as, to trill the r; to trill a note. The sober-suited songstress trills her lay. Thomson.

Trill, v. i.

Definition: To utter trills or a trill; to play or sing in tremulous vibrations of sound; to have a trembling sound; to quaver. To judge of trilling notes and tripping feet. Dryden.

Trill, n. Etym: [It. trillo, fr. trillare. See Trill to shake.]

1. A sound, of consonantal character, made with a rapid succession of partial or entire intermissions, by the vibration of some one part of the organs in the mouth -- tongue, uvula, epiglottis, or lip -- against another part; as, the r is a trill in most languages.

2. The action of the organs in producing such sounds; as, to give a trill to the tongue. d

3. (Mus.)

Definition: A shake or quaver of the voice in singing, or of the sound of an instrument, produced by the rapid alternation of two contiguous tones of the scale; as, to give a trill on the high C. See Shake.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

29 March 2025

THOUGHTLESS

(adjective) without care or thought for others; “the thoughtless saying of a great princess on being informed that the people had no bread; ‘Let them eat cake’”


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