murmuration
An act or instance of murmuringAn act or instance of murmuring.
» A nightly gathering of thousands of birds called a “murmuration” has captured the attention of entertainment-starved people in Northern California.
Meaning
3 senses(countable, uncountable)An act or instance of murmuring.
(collective, countable, uncountable)A flock of starlings, in particular when swarming in swirling patterns.
мурмура́цияmurmurácija
(countable, uncountable)An emergent order in a multi-agent social system.
- a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
Examples
1 sentencesA nightly gathering of thousands of birds called a “murmuration” has captured the attention of entertainment-starved people in Northern California.
Translations
2 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
1350–1400; Medieval Latin murmuratio (“murmuring, grumbling”), equivalent to murmur + -ati1350–1400; Medieval Latin murmuratio (“murmuring, grumbling”), equivalent to murmur + -ation. The “flock of starlings” sense is probably derived from the sound of the very large groups that starlings form at dusk.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: murmurations| Singular | murmuration |
|---|---|
| Plural | murmurations |
regular
Synonyms
5 synonyms- a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech:muttermutteringmurmurmurmuringmussitation
Word family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable