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mur·mur (mûrmər)
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n.
1. A low, indistinct, continuous sound: spoke in a murmur; the murmur of the waves.
2. An indistinct, whispered, or confidential complaint; a mutter.
3. Medicine An abnormal sound, usually emanating from the heart, that sometimes indicates a diseased condition.
v. mur·mured, mur·mur·ing, mur·murs
v.intr.
1. To make a low, continuous, indistinct sound or succession of sounds.
2. To complain in low mumbling tones; grumble.
v.tr.
To say in a low indistinct voice; utter indistinctly: murmured his approval.
[Middle English murmure, from Old French, from Latin murmur, a humming, roaring, of imitative origin.]
murmur·er n.
murmur·ing·ly adv.
murmur·ous adj.
murmur·ous·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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