The story
- Middle English · inherited from*chirpen
- English todaychirp
From Middle English *chirpen (attested only in the derivative Middle English chirpinge, cyrpynge, chyrypynge (“chirping”). Compare Middle English chirken and chirmen. More at chirk, chirm. Compare also Middle English chirten (“to smack, chirrup”). Compare German zirpen and Dutch tjirpen.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.