Also 6 twyt.
† 1. An imitation of the cry of an owl. Cf. TU-WHIT. Obs. rare–1.
1591. Lyly, Endym., III. iii. A goodly Owle … sitting vpon my shoulder, cryed twyt, twyt…. I meruailed what the Owle said, til at the last, I perceiued twyt twyt, to it, to it.
2. An imitation of the shrill chirp of a small bird; hence as sb. a name for this. Cf. TWEET.
1820. Clare, Rural Life (ed. 3), 147. The flap of a leaf, and the twit of a bird.
1828. Lights & Shades, II. 130. A fat chirping sparrow gave you a twit, twit, twit, that kept you awake.
