Trills

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. A rapid sequence of repeating notes that serves to embellish a melody and create a lively atmosphere in music performance
2. A musical embellishment involving fast alternation between two adjacent tones ; a bird vocalization made of swiftly repeated sounds
3. An ornamental flourish in music marked by rapidly alternating pitches ; a series of quick, repeated sounds produced by some bird species

Etymology: "Trills" is the plural and third-person singular form of "trill," which describes a rapid alternation of notes, or a quavering sound in the voice or a bird's song. The noun and verb both come from Middle English "trillen," borrowed from Italian "trillo" and "trillare," meaning to warble or quaver, a musical sense that English took over in the Middle Ages. Related forms appear across Germanic languages, including German "trillern," Norwegian "trille," and Swedish "trilla," which suggests the sound-imitating idea spread widely. Some etymologists also link the word to Old English "þweran," meaning to twirl or stir, with cousins like "twirl" and "thirl." The same sense shows up in "drill," in its sense of a rapid repeated sound, and in German "trillen" and "drillen," so the two may be connected, though this is not certain.

Synonyms: quavers, warbles