Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [pur]
- /pɜr/
- /pɜː/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [pur]
- /pɜr/
Definitions of purr word
- verb without object purr to utter a low, continuous, murmuring sound expressive of contentment or pleasure, as a cat does. 1
- verb without object purr (of things) to make a sound suggestive of the purring of a cat: The new motor of the car purred. 1
- verb with object purr to express by or as if by purring. 1
- noun purr the low, vibrating sound made by a cat by the contracting of the laryngeal muscles and the diaphragm as it breathes. 1
- noun purr a sound resembling this. 1
- noun purr the act of purring. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of purr
First appearance:
before 1595 One of the 38% oldest English words
First recorded in 1595-1605; imitative
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Purr
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
purr popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 84% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
purr usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for purr
verb purr
- belt out — If you belt out a song, you sing or play it very loudly.
- bombinate — to make a buzzing noise
- bummed — depressed, upset, distressed, annoyed, etc.
- bumming — a person who avoids work and sponges on others; loafer; idler.
- canary — Canaries are small yellow birds which sing beautifully and are often kept as pets.
noun purr
- murmuration — an act or instance of murmuring.
- meow — the characteristic sound a cat makes.
- whirr — to go, fly, revolve, or otherwise move quickly with a humming or buzzing sound: An electric fan whirred softly in the corner.
Top questions with purr
- why do cats purr?
- how do cats purr?
- why cats purr?
- what does it mean when cats purr?
- what makes a cat purr?
- why do kittens purr?
- what does it mean when guinea pigs purr?
- why does a cat purr?
- what makes cats purr?
- what is a cat's purr?
- how does a cat purr?
- why doesn t my cat purr?
- why do guinea pigs purr?
- how cats purr?
- how to purr like a cat?