Grunts

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɡɹʌnts/

Definitions

1. A group of deep, throaty noises produced by humans or animals Short, low-toned sounds associated with labor or informal exchanges Spontaneous vocal expressions indicating annoyance or physical effort made by an individual
2. A rough, low-pitched sound emitted by a person or animal, often to express effort or displeasure
3. A short, hoarse noise produced as a sign of exertion, reluctance, or simple communication

Etymology: The sound a pig makes is the ancestor of the word, not a later borrowing from it. "Grunt" comes from Old English "grunnettan," meaning to make the low, rough noise of an animal or a person, and that verb descends from a Proto-Germanic form that was itself a frequentative, a verb expressing repeated or drawn-out action built from an older root meaning "to shout." The same sound-based word turns up in German as "grunzen" and in Danish as "grynte," which shows how deeply the vocabulary for this noise runs through the Germanic languages. "Grunts" is simply the plural of the noun "grunt," which is formed by zero derivation: English took the verb and used it unchanged as a noun for the sound itself, so the noun and the verb are essentially the same word. The verb's Middle English form "grunten" marks the point where the Old English term passed into the language that became modern English.

Synonyms: groans, snorts, grumbles