See Also: Warble(medicine)
warble fly(medicine)
warble(1)(dictionary)
warble(2)(dictionary)
warble(3)(dictionary)
warble(4)(dictionary)
warble fly(encyclopedia)
warble(dictionary)
warble botfly(medicine)

warble(3) (iou)



warble verb1. LME.
[Old Northern French (esp. Picard) werbler, werbloier trill, sing, from Frankish hwirbilon whirl, trill: cf. Old High German wirbil whirlwind (German Wirbel).]
verb trans. Proclaim by a flourish of trumpets; sound (a trumpet etc.). rare. Only in LME.
verb intrans. Of a bird: sing softly and sweetly, trill. L15.
Milton Birds on the branches warbling.
verb intrans.
a. Of a person: modulate the voice in singing; sing with trills and quavers. Later also, sing softly and sweetly, sing in a birdlike manner; gen. (freq. joc.) sing. E16.
b. Of a stream: flow with a melodious sound. poet. L16.
c. Of music: sound with a quavering melody; be produced with smooth and rapid modulations of pitch. Now rare or obsolete. E18.
verb trans. Sing with trills and runs; utter melodiously, express in song or verse; gen. (freq. joc.) sing. Also foll. by forth, out. L16.
T. H. White Warbling the great medieval drinking-song.
a. verb trans. Manipulate (the strings of a musical instrument) in playing. L16-M17.
b. verb intrans. Of a stringed instrument: emit melodious sounds. E17-L18.
verb intrans. Of a telephone (spec. a Trimphone): ring with a distinctive trilling sound. M20.