purr

purr
purringly, adv.
/perr/, v.i.
1. to utter a low, continuous, murmuring sound expressive of contentment or pleasure, as a cat does.
2. (of things) to make a sound suggestive of the purring of a cat: The new motor of the car purred.
v.t.
3. to express by or as if by purring.
n.
4. the low, vibrating sound made by a cat by the contracting of the laryngeal muscles and the diaphragm as it breathes.
5. a sound resembling this.
6. the act of purring.
Also, pur.
[1595-1605; imit.]

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • purr — purr·er; purr·ing·ly; purr; …   English syllables

  • Purr — Purr, n. The low murmuring sound made by a cat; pur. See {Pur}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Purr — Purr, v. i. & t. To murmur as a cat. See {Pur}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • purr — [pə: US pə:r] v [Date: 1600 1700; Origin: From the sound] 1.) if a cat purrs, it makes a soft low sound in its throat to show that it is pleased 2.) [I] if the engine of a vehicle or machine purrs, it works perfectly and makes a quiet smooth… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • purr — [ pɜr ] verb 1. ) intransitive if a cat purrs, it makes a continuous quiet low sound because it is happy a ) if a machine purrs, it makes a continuous quiet low sound because it is operating correctly at a slow speed 2. ) intransitive or… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • purr — c.1600, of imitative origin. Related: Purred; purring …   Etymology dictionary

  • purr — ► VERB 1) (of a cat) make a low continuous vibratory sound expressing contentment. 2) (of a vehicle or engine) move or run smoothly while making a similar sound. ► NOUN ▪ a purring sound. ORIGIN imitative …   English terms dictionary

  • purr — [pʉr] n. [echoic] 1. a low, vibratory sound made by a cat when it seems to be pleased 2. any sound like this vi., vt. to make or express by such a sound …   English World dictionary

  • Purr — For other uses, see Purr (disambiguation). A purr is a sound made by all species of felids and is a part of cat communication. It varies between cats (for example by loudness and tone), and from species to species, but can be characterized as a… …   Wikipedia

  • purr — UK [pɜː(r)] / US [pɜr] verb Word forms purr : present tense I/you/we/they purr he/she/it purrs present participle purring past tense purred past participle purred 1) a) [intransitive] if a cat purrs, it makes a continuous quiet low sound because… …   English dictionary

  • purr — I. noun Etymology: imitative Date: 1601 a low vibratory murmur typical of an apparently contented or pleased cat II. intransitive verb Date: 1620 1. to make a purr or a sound like a purr < cars purring along the highway > 2. a …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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