Whirr
/wɜːr/noun
To make a rapid, vibrating, or buzzing sound, or a sound of that kind.
Did you know?Whirr is an onomatopoeic word, and English began using it in the 18th century to capture the eerie, mechanical hum of motion before machines dominated everyday life.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wer-
“to turn, bend”
Old English
OE
hwirran
“to turn, whirl, or move with a spinning motion”
Middle English
Middle English
whirren
“to whirl or buzz with a rapid motion or sound”
18th Century
English
whirr
“to make a rapid whirring or buzzing sound”
Modern English
English
whirr
“to make a continuous, vibrating, buzzing sound”