warble

¹

[ wawr-buhl ]

verb (used without object)

, war·bled, war·bling.

1. to sing or whistle with trills, quavers, or melodic embellishments:

   The canary warbled most of the day.

2. to yodel.
3. (of electronic equipment) to produce a continuous sound varying regularly in pitch and frequency.

verb (used with object)

, war·bled, war·bling.

1. to sing (an aria or other selection) with trills, quavers, or melodious turns.
2. to express or celebrate in or as if in song; carol.

noun

1. a warbled song or succession of melodic trills, quavers, etc.
2. the act of warbling.

warble

²

[ wawr-buhl ]

noun

, Veterinary Pathology.

1. a small, hard tumor on a horse's back, produced by the galling of the saddle.
2. a lump in the skin of an animal's back, containing the larva of a warble fly.

warble

¹

/ ˈwɔːbəl /

verb

1. to sing (words, songs, etc) with trills, runs, and other embellishments
2. tr to utter in a song
3. another word for yodel

noun

1. the act or an instance of warbling

warble

²

/ ˈwɔːbəl /

noun

1. a small lumpy abscess under the skin of cattle caused by infestation with larvae of the warble fly
2. a hard tumorous lump of tissue on a horse's back, caused by prolonged friction of a saddle

Derived Forms

• ˈwarbled, adjective

Other Words From

• warbled adjective
• un·warbled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of warble¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun werble, warble “a tune,” from Old North French, from Germanic; compare Old High German werbel “something that turns”

Origin of warble²

First recorded in 1575–85; origin uncertain; compare Middle Swedish varbulde “boil”

Word History and Origins

Origin of warble¹

C14: via Old French werbler from Germanic; compare Frankish hwirbilōn (unattested), Old High German wirbil whirlwind; see whirl

Origin of warble²

C16: of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Sister Megan warbles softly at first, before putting the full might of her lungs and vocal cords behind the melody and lyrics.

From Salon

By spotlighting her child’s untrained warble, Perry is attempting to demonstrate the human stakes of that undertaking while showing us that, as a record maker, she’s living by her own advice.

From Los Angeles Times

“We’d like to thank everyone for being here tonight,” he said in a muffled warble.

From New York Times

Then comes that "no no no no please don't" passage, when Barrymore's voice shudders with a tender warble.

From Salon

Like a trio of canaries in a coal mine warbling at the top of their lungs, three recent studies warn of various ways that global warming is drastically changing the planet.

From Salon

Related Words

• chirp
• trill