Tweet
/twiːt/noun
A short, high-pitched chirp or a brief post on the social media platform X.
Did you know?The social-media sense of *tweet* was deliberately chosen because it echoes a bird’s brief call, not because of any ancient mystical root, though the word itself has long been used for a light chirp or peep.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
English
tweten
“To chirp or twitter softly.”
16th Century
English
tweet
“A short, sharp chirp or peep, especially from a bird.”
17th Century
English
“To utter a series of rapid, tremulous sounds; to chirp.”
Old English
OE
twītan
“To chirp or twitter (attested in related forms and later dialectal developments).”
Modern English
English
tweet
“A short post published on the social-media platform X, or a birdlike chirp.”