murmur

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Archived revision by 71.114.80.190 (talk) as of 18:03, 5 September 2022.
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

Etymology

From Middle English murmur, murmor, murmour, from Old French murmure (modern French murmure), from Latin murmur (“murmur, humming, muttering, roaring, growling, rushing etc.”).

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈmɜː.mə(ɹ)/
  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "GA" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈmɝ.mɚ/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)mə(ɹ)

Noun

murmur (countable and uncountable, plural murmurs)

  1. (countable, uncountable) Any low, indistinct sound, like that of running water.
    • 1854: Narrative of a Journey Round the Dead Sea, and in the Bible Lands
      The delightful murmur of water running over pebbles is heard a few yards off
    • 1979: A translation of the Eclogues by Paul Alpers
      The windy murmur of the breeze subsides.
  2. (countable, uncountable) Soft indistinct speech.
    A murmur arose from the audience.
    • 1874, Marcus Clarke, For the Term of His Natural Life, chapter V:
      In the prison of the 'tween decks reigned a darkness pregnant with murmurs. The sentry at the entrance to the hatchway was supposed to "prevent the prisoners from making a noise," but he put a very liberal interpretation upon the clause, and so long as the prisoners refrained from shouting, yelling, and fighting--eccentricities in which they sometimes indulged--he did not disturb them.
    • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter XI:
      The moment had come for the honeyed word. I lowered my voice to a confidential murmur, but on her inquiring if I had laryngitis raised it again.
  3. (cardiology, medicine) The sound made by any condition which produces noisy, or turbulent, flow of blood through the heart.
  4. A muttered complaint or protest; the expression of dissatisfaction in a low muttering voice; any expression of complaint or discontent.
    • 1919, Boris Sidis, The Source and Aim of Human Progress:
      In fear of disease and in the interest of his health man will be muzzled and masked like a vicious dog, and that without any murmur of complaint.
    • 2004: Cardiology Explained by Euan A. Ashley and Josef Niebauer
      Since aortic diastolic pressure is higher than pulmonary artery systolic pressure, there is continuous flow into the pulmonary circulation, creating the characteristic continuous ("machinery") murmur, heard best just below the left clavicle.
    • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter XX:
      Glossop will return from his afternoon off to find the awful majesty of the Law waiting for him, complete with handcuffs. We can hardly expect him to accept an exemplary sentence without a murmur, so his first move will be to establish his innocence by revealing all.

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb

murmur (third-person singular simple present murmurs, present participle murmuring, simple past and past participle murmured)

  1. (intransitive, now rare) To grumble; to complain in a low, muttering voice, or express discontent at or against someone or something. [from 14th c.]
  2. (intransitive) To speak or make low, indistinguishable noise; to mumble, mutter. [from 14th c.]
    I couldn't hear the words; he just murmured a lot.
    The bees murmured in the forest. The waves murmured on the shore.
    • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 7, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:
      “Oh yes,” he murmured in a tone of obligatory surprise, as he proceeded to make the kind of 2 which he attributed to Margaret's style of chirography.
  3. (transitive) To say (something) indistinctly, to mutter. [from 15th c.]
    • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], line 51:
      I […] heard thee murmur tales of iron wars;
    • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 828: Parameter "url" is not used by this template.
    • 1942, Lloyd C. Douglas, The Robe, Chapter 7,[1]
      With a husky voice she murmured that he was the very dearest grandfather anyone ever had.
    • 1978, Andrew Holleran, Dancer from the Dance, New York: New American Library, 1986, Chapter 4, p. 105,[2]
      “ […] Don’t look now,” he murmured, lowering his eyes demurely, “but the most handsome man in Brookfield, Connecticut, has just walked in the room.”

Synonyms

Derived terms

Template:mid2

Translations

References

Further reading

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *mormur-, *mur- (“to mutter”). Reduplication points to imitative, onomatopoeic origin. Cognate with Sanskrit मर्मर (marmara, “rustling sound, murmur”), Ancient Greek μορμύρω (mormúrō, “to roar, boil”), Lithuanian mùrmėti (“to mutter, murmur, babble”), Old High German murmurōn, murmulōn (“to mumble, murmur”), Old Norse murra (“to grumble, mumble”), Old Armenian մռմռամ (mṙmṙam).

Pronunciation

Noun

murmur n (genitive murmuris); third declension

  1. murmur, murmuring
  2. humming, roaring, growling, grumbling
  3. rushing, crashing

Declension

Third-declension noun (neuter, imparisyllabic non-i-stem).

Case Singular Plural
Nominative murmur murmura
Genitive murmuris murmurum
Dative murmurī murmuribus
Accusative murmur murmura
Ablative murmure murmuribus
Vocative murmur murmura

Descendants

References

  • “murmur”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “murmur”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old French murmure, from Latin murmur.

Pronunciation

Noun

murmur (plural murmurs)

  1. A whining, protesting or complaining in the background; murmuring.
  2. (rare) Background noise or sounds.

Descendants

References

Romanian

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Verb

murmur

  1. first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive of murmura

Etymology 2

From Latin murmur or French murmure.

Noun

murmur n (plural murmure)

  1. a murmur
Declension
Declension of murmur
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) murmur murmurul (niște) murmure murmurele
genitive/dative (unui) murmur murmurului (unor) murmure murmurelor
vocative murmurule murmurelor
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=murmur&oldid=69133365"