Durr
/dɜːr/noun
To make a low, continuous humming, vibrating, or grating sound.
Did you know?Durr belongs to a broader class of expressive, sound-based words whose forms echo the noises they describe rather than descending from a clearly reconstructable ancient root.
Etymological Timeline
Germanic sound-symbolic formation
Germanic
*durr-
“An imitative base representing a low vibrating or humming sound; reconstruction is uncertain.”
Middle English period
Middle English
durre
“A humming, buzzing, or grating noise; related spellings appear in dialectal use.”
16th–17th Century
Scots/English
durr
“To make a dull, continuous humming or vibrating sound.”
18th–19th Century
English dialect
durr
“To drone, buzz, or utter a low vibrating sound.”
Modern English
English
durr
“A chiefly dialectal or informal verb meaning to make a low humming or vibrating noise.”