a melodic ornament consisting of a rapid alternation between a principal note and the note a whole tone or semitone above it
Usual symbol: (written above a note)tr., tr
2.
a shrill warbling sound, esp as made by some birds
3. phonetics
a.
the articulation of an (r) sound produced by holding the tip of the tongue close to the alveolar ridge, allowing the tongue to make a succession of taps against the ridge
b.
the production of a similar effect using the uvula against the back of the tongue
verb
4.
to sound, sing, or play (a trill or with a trill)
5. (transitive)
to pronounce (an (r) sound) by the production of a trill
Word origin
C17: from Italian trillo, from trillare, apparently from Middle Dutch trillen to vibrate