skirl
pronunciation
How to pronounce skirl in British English:
UK [skɜ:l]
How to pronounce skirl in American English:
US [skɜl]
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- Noun:
- the sound of (the chanter of) a bagpipe
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- Verb:
- make a shrill, wailing sound
- play the bagpipes
Word Origin
- skirl (v.)
- "to make a shrill sound," mid-15c., from a Scandinavian source (compare Norwegian skyrla, skrella "to shriek"), of imitative origin. In reference to bagpipes, it is attested by 1660s and now rarely used otherwise. As a noun 1510s from the verb.