birr
To make a whirring noiseTo make a whirring noise; make a noise like that of revolving wheels, or of millstones at work.
» It is from two to ten birrs a week.
Tatoeba contributors · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
2 senses(Scotland)To make a whirring noise; make a noise like that of revolving wheels, or of millstones at work.
(Scotland)To lurch or set to spinning.
- make a soft swishing sound
Examples
1 sentencesIt is from two to ten birrs a week.
Origin
From Middle English bir (“favorable or strong wind”), from Old English byre (“strong wind,From Middle English bir (“favorable or strong wind”), from Old English byre (“strong wind, storm”); cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk bør, Icelandic byrr (“sailing winds”), Albanian borë (“snow”), and Polish burza (“storm, thunderstorm”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
birrs, birring, birred, birredSynonyms
5 synonymsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.