Etymology 1
From Middle English trillen, from Italian trillo, trillare. Compare German trillern, Norwegian trille, Swedish trilla.
Noun
trill (plural trills)
- (music) 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.
- (phonetics) A type of consonantal sound that is produced by vibrations of the tongue against the place of articulation: for example, Spanish ⟨rr⟩, /r/.
- A tremulous high-pitched vocal sound produced by cats.
Translations
rapid alternation of notes
vibrating consonant
- Armenian: թրթռուն (tʻrtʻṙun)
- Basque: dardarkari anizkun
- Catalan: consonant vibrant f
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 顫音/颤音 (zh) (chànyīn)
- Esperanto: trilo (eo)
- Finnish: tremulantti (fi), täryäänne (fi)
- French: consonne roulée f
- German: Vibrant (de) m
- Greek: πολυπαλλόμενο n (polypallómeno)
- Hebrew: עיצורים מורעדים pl
- Icelandic: sveifluhljóð n
- Irish: consan rollta m
- Italian: consonante vibrante f, trillo (it) m
- Japanese: 震え音 (ふるえおん, furueon), 顫動音 (せんどうおん, sendōon)
- Korean: 전동음(顫動音) (ko) (jeondong'eum)
- Polish: spółgłoska drżąca f
- Portuguese: vibrante (pt)
- Romanian: consoană vibrantă (ro) f
- Russian: вибри́рующий согла́сный m (vibrírujuščij soglásnyj)
- Spanish: vibrante (es) f
- Swedish: tremulant (sv) c, vibrant (sv) c
- Thai: please add this translation if you can
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Verb
trill (third-person singular simple present trills, present participle trilling, simple past and past participle trilled)
- (intransitive) To create a trill sound; to utter trills or a trill; to play or sing in tremulous vibrations of sound; to have a trembling sound; to quaver.
1692, John Dryden, Cleomenes, the Spartan Hero, a Tragedy:To judge of trilling notes and tripping feet.
- (transitive) To impart the quality of a trill to; to utter as, or with, a trill.
to trill a note, or the letter r
Translations
to make a tremulous sound
- Czech: trylkovat impf
- French: triller (fr)
- German: trillern (de)
- Italian: please add this translation if you can
- Japanese: please add this translation if you can
- Maori: wanawana, whakahoho
- Spanish: please add this translation if you can
- Thai: please add this translation if you can
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Etymology 2
Perhaps identical to Etymology 3, but compare the same sense of drill, and German trillen, drillen.
Verb
trill (third-person singular simple present trills, present participle trilling, simple past and past participle trilled)
- (intransitive, obsolete) To trickle.
1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 30, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:I come now from seeing of a shepheard at Medoc […] who had no signe at all of genitorie parts: But where they should be, are three little holes, by which his water doth continually tril from him.
c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:And now and then an ample tear trilled down / Her delicate cheek.
- 1737, Richard Glover, Leonidas Book
Whisper'd sounds / Of waters, trilling from the riven stone.
Etymology 4
Perhaps a blend of true + real, or from keep it real.
Adjective
trill (comparative triller, superlative trillest)
- (slang, hip-hop culture) True, respected.
2007, “Black History Month”, in The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!, performed by Saul Williams:All my trill niggas know who be bringin da funk / Lees and shell toes like it's Black History Month
2013, Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar Games, level/area: Repossession:LAMAR: Oh, really? That's a nice change from fools comin' up on us. / FRANKLIN: That's trill, homie. / LAMAR: You damn straight that's trill, partner, but it's a shame I don't believe it. You wanna drop some notes on that shit, I'll give you the odds, homie.
2013, “Wild for the Night”, performed by A$AP Rocky:Middle finger to the critics, me and my nigga Skrillex / You know we finna kill it, A$AP we the trillest