trill

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English trillen, from Italian trillo, trillare. Compare Norwegian trille, Swedish trilla.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɹɪl/, [t̠ʰɹ̠̊ɪl]
• Rhymes: -ɪl

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Noun

trill (plural trills)

1. (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.
2. (phonetics) A type of consonantal sound that is produced by vibrations of the tongue against the place of articulation: for example, Spanish ⟨rr⟩, /r/.
3. A tremulous high-pitched vocal sound produced by cats.

Derived terms

• trilly

Translations

rapid alternation of notes

• Arabic: تَكْرِير‎ m (takrīr)
• Bulgarian: трела (bg) f (trela), тремоло n (tremolo)
• Catalan: trinat (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 顫音／颤音 (zh) (chànyīn)

• Dutch: triller (nl) m
• Finnish: trilli (fi)
• French: trille (fr) m
• German: Triller m
• Hebrew: סִלְסוּל‎ (he) m (silsúl)
• Icelandic: trilla f
• Irish: tríleach m
• Italian: trillo (it) m
• Japanese: 顫音 (せんおん, sen'on), トリル (toriru)
• Korean: 트릴 (teuril)
• Maori: whakawanawana, whakahoho
• Polish: trel (pl) m, tryl m
• Portuguese: trilo (pt) m, trino (pt) m, trinado m
• Russian: трель (ru) f (trelʹ)
• Spanish: trino (es) m
• Swedish: drill (sv) c
• Tagalog: pakatal, kiyebro
• Vietnamese: láy rền

vibrating consonant

• Armenian: թրթռուն (tʿrtʿṙun)
• Basque: dardarkari anizkun
• Catalan: consonant vibrant f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 顫音／颤音 (zh) (chànyīn)

• Esperanto: trilo (eo)
• Finnish: tremulantti (fi), täryäänne (fi)
• French: consonne roulée f
• German: Vibrant (de) m
• Greek: πολυπαλλόμενο n (polypallómeno)
• Hebrew: עיצורים מורעדים‎ pl
• Icelandic: sveifluhljóð n
• Irish: consan rollta m
• Italian: consonante vibrante f, trillo (it) m
• Japanese: 震え音 (ふるえおん, furueon), 顫動音 (せんどうおん, sendōon)
• Korean: 전동음(顫動音) (ko) (jeondong'eum)
• Polish: spółgłoska drżąca f
• Portuguese: vibrante (pt)
• Romanian: consoană vibrantă (ro) f
• Russian: вибри́рующий согла́сный m (vibrírujuščij soglásnyj)
• Spanish: vibrante (es) f
• Swedish: tremulant (sv) c, vibrant (sv) c
• Thai: please add this translation if you can

Verb

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

1. (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.
   • 1692, John Dryden, Cleomenes, the Spartan Hero, a Tragedy
2. (transitive) To impart the quality of a trill to; to utter as, or with, a trill.

   to trill a note, or the letter r

   • 1727, James Thomson, “Summer”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC:

     The sober-suited songstress trills her lay.

Synonyms

• roll

Derived terms

• triller

Translations

to make a tremulous sound

• French: triller (fr)
• German: trillern (de)
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Maori: wanawana, whakahoho
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Thai: please add this translation if you can

Further reading

• trill (music) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• trill consonant on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

Perhaps identical to Etymology 3, but compare the same sense of drill, and German trillen, drillen.

Verb

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

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To trickle.
   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 30, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

     I come now from seeing of a shepheard at Medoc […] who had no signe at all of genitorie parts: But where they should be, are three little holes, by which his water doth continually tril from him.

   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:

     And now and then an ample tear trilled down / Her delicate cheek.

   • 1737, Richard Glover, Leonidas Book {{{1}}}

     Whisper'd sounds / Of waters, trilling from the riven stone.

Etymology 3

Probably related to Old English þweran (“to twirl, stir”). Compare twirl, thirl, and Swedish trilla, Norwegian trille, etc.

Verb

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

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To twirl.

Related terms

• tirl

Etymology 4

Perhaps a blend of true +‎ real.

Adjective

trill (comparative triller, superlative trillest)

1. (slang, hip-hop culture) true, respected
   • 2007, “Black History Month”, in The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!, performed by Saul Williams:

     All my trill niggas know who be bringin da funk / Lees and shell toes like it's Black History Month

   • 2013, Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar Games, level/area: Repossession:

     LAMAR: Oh, really? That's a nice change from fools comin' up on us. / FRANKLIN: That's trill, homie. / LAMAR: You damn straight that's trill, partner, but it's a shame I don't believe it. You wanna drop some notes on that shit, I'll give you the odds, homie.

   • 2013, “Wild for the Night”, performed by A$AP Rocky:

     Middle finger to the critics, me and my nigga Skrillex / You know we finna kill it, A$AP we the trillest

Albanian

Noun

trill ? (indefinite plural trillime, definite singular trilli, definite plural trillimet)

1. whim, tantrum, bizarre fantasy

Derived terms

• trilloj

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

trill

1. imperative of trille