Chirper

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An entity, typically an animal or device, that produces short, high-pitched sounds like chirps
2. Someone or something characterized by emitting brief birdlike noises or cheerful remarks
3. A source of chirping sounds, often a small animal such as a bird, or a device designed to emit such noises

Etymology: "Chirper" is a plain English formation: the verb "chirp," with the agent suffix "-er" added to it. "Chirp" itself is an imitative word, meant to echo the short, sharp sound a small bird makes, so the noun simply names whoever or whatever produces that sound. The suffix has a longer pedigree than the verb it attaches to. It descends from a Latin ending "-arius," which denoted a person connected with or performing a task, and it reached English through Old English "-ere," which had the same job of marking a doer. That gives "chirper" the same ancient machinery as words like "baker" or "writer," only fastened onto a much younger, sound-based root. Because the word is a transparent compound of a verb and a suffix, its meaning has stayed close to its literal sense. It can describe a bird, but also a cheerful person who keeps up a stream of bright remarks, which is an easy metaphorical step from the original noise.

Synonyms: tweet, birdcall, whistler