[A modern formation naturally expressing a prolonged and somewhat sharply trilled sound: cf. whirr, birr, burr, purr; with chirring cf. the more ponderous jarring. As a recent onomatopœia, chirr was evidently largely suggested by the already existing chirm, chirk, chirt, chirp, chirrup, of which it retains the common phonetic element and the common kernel of meaning.
Along with the subsequently formed chirl, and the many derivatives of chirp, etc., these form a well-marked recent group or ‘family’ of words, which mutually illustrate and help each other’s meaning. Thus chirr expresses continued and uniform trilled sound; in chirk, chirt, chirp this sound is abruptly stopped by oral action; in chirrup, a modulation is introduced before the stoppage; chirl, esp. in its northern form chirr’l, suggests the passing of the chirr into a warbling modulation; while chirm with its suggestions of verbal sbs. in -m of divers origin, e.g., scream, bloom, blossom, rhythm, spasm, assumes the appearance of a derivative of chir-. If these words, instead of being nearly all recent, were of prehistoric formation, or of Aryan standing, chir- would certainly be assumed as the ‘root,’ and the other words as out-growths from it.]
intr. To make the trilled sound characteristic of grasshoppers, etc. (Often nearly equivalent to CHIRP, but properly expressing a more continuous and monotonous sound.) Hence Chirring vbl. sb. and ppl. a.
1639. Glapthorne, Argalus & P., II. i. As Swans … who do bill, With tardy modesty, and chirring plead Their constant resolutions.
1648. Herrick, Hesper. (Grosart), II. 24. The chirring Grasshopper.
1834. Pringle, Afr. Sk., vi. 202. The chirring of the grasshopper.
1834. M. Scott, Cruise Midge (1863), 103. Drowning the snoring of the toads and chir-chir-chirring and wheetle-wheetling of the numberless noisy insects.
1840. Browning, Sordello, VI. 461. Rustles the lizard, and the cushats chirre.
1850. Tennyson, In Mem., xcv. 2. Not a cricket chirr’d.
1874. Coues, Birds N. W., 133. Throwing up his head, utters the chirring notes ad libitum.
1886. N. & Q., 20 Feb., 141/2. Claudian had high authority for the thin stridulous chirring which he assigns to his ghosts.
