Etymology

trill

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Today it means: A rapid alternation between an indicated note and the one above it as an ornament; in musical notation usually indicated with the letters tr written above the staff. Full definition →

Middle English trillen ← Italian trillo
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trill · noun, verb1

  1. Italian · derived fromtrillo
  2. Middle English · inherited fromtrillen
  3. English todaytrill

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

trill · verb2

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

trill · verb3

  1. Old English · derived fromþweran“to twirl, stir”
  2. English todaytrill

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

trill · adjective4

Perhaps a blend of true + real, or from keep it real, exhibiting the fill–feel merger.

Words from the same roots

Italiantrillo all →

trillo

Old Englishþweran all →

tirltwire

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.