purr

purr

English

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɜː(ɹ)/

  • Audio (UK)

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• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)
• Homophone: per

Verb

purr (third-person singular simple present purrs, present participle purring, simple past and past participle purred)

1. (intransitive) Of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in its throat when contented.
   • 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, H.L. Brækstad, transl., Folk and Fairy Tales, page 278:

     There was no one at home but a black cat, who was sitting quite content and purring on the hearth[.]

2. (transitive) To say (something) in a throaty, seductive manner.
   • 2008, C. E. Osborne, Black Gold Death in the Sun (page 12)

     "This is Cindy," she purred again, flashing a smile of perfect white teeth surrounded by full red lips.

3. (intransitive) To make a vibrating throaty sound, as from pleasure.

   He purred like a kitten when she massaged his neck.

4. (intransitive, of an engine) To make a low and consistent rumbling sound.
   • 2001, E. C. Craver, Last Reunion (page 159)

     Beverly passed the city limits sign with the Porsche's motor purring contentedly after its two hundred and fifty-mile romp.

Derived terms

• purrer

Translations

cat to make a vibrating sound in its throat

Basque: urrumatu Belarusian: мурлы́каць impf (murlýkacʹ), курня́ўкаць impf (kurnjáŭkacʹ), му́ркаць impf (múrkacʹ) Bulgarian: мъркам (bg) (mǎrkam) Catalan: roncar (ca), ronronejar Chinese: Cantonese: please add this translation if you can Mandarin: 發出喉音／发出喉音 (fāchū hóuyīn), 咕嚕咕嚕叫／咕噜咕噜叫 (zh) (gūlǔgūlǔ jiào), 打呼嚕／打呼噜 (zh) (dǎ hūlū) Crimean Tatar: mıravlamaq Czech: příst (cs) Danish: spinde Dutch: spinnen (nl) Esperanto: ronroni (eo) Finnish: kehrätä (fi) French: ronronner (fr) Galician: rosmar (gl) Georgian: კრუტუნებს (ḳruṭunebs) German: schnurren (de) Greek: γουργουρίζω (el) (gourgourízo), χουρχουρίζω (chourchourízo) Hindi: घुरघुराना (hi) (ghurghurānā), घुरघुरकरना (ghurghurkarnā) Hungarian: dorombol (hu) Icelandic: mala (is) Interlingua: ronronar Irish: bí ag crónán Italian: fare le fusa Japanese: ごろごろいう (ja) (gorogoro iu), 鳴く (ja) (なく, naku) Khmer: please add this translation if you can Korean: 가르랑거리다 (ko) (gareuranggeorida) Latgalian: ņurruot Latvian: murrāt Lithuanian: murkti Malay: please add this translation if you can Navajo: biyiʼ hodiitsʼaʼ Norman: ronner Norwegian: male (no) Persian: خرخر کردن‎ (fa) Polish: mruczeć (pl) impf, mruknąć pf Portuguese: ronronar (pt) Romanian: toarce (ro) Russian: мурлы́кать (ru) impf (murlýkatʹ), промурлы́кать (ru) pf (promurlýkatʹ) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: прести Roman: prȅsti (sh) Slovak: priasť impf Spanish: ronronear (es) Swedish: kurra (sv), spinna (sv) Thai: please add this translation if you can Turkish: mırlamak (tr) Ukrainian: муркота́ти impf (murkotáty), муркоті́ти impf (murkotíty), воркота́ти impf (vorkotáty), воркоті́ти impf (vorkotíty) Vietnamese: gừ gừ (vi), rừ rừ, khò khò (vi) Walloon: ronfler (wa) Welsh: canu grwndi Westrobothnian: köörr, mala, mjäla Yiddish: מורקען‎ (murken), מרוקען‎ (mruken)

to speak in a seductive manner

Finnish: kehrätä (fi)

to make a vibrating throaty sound

Finnish: kehrätä (fi)

of an engine: to make a low rumbling sound

Bulgarian: бръмча (bg) (brǎmča) Finnish: kehrätä (fi) Hungarian: dorombol (hu), duruzsol (hu) Polish: mruczeć (pl) impf, mruknąć pf

Noun

purr (plural purrs)

1. The vibrating sound made by a cat in its throat when contented.
   • 1918, Sarath Kumar Ghosh, The wonders of the jungle - Volume 2 (page 113)

     Instead, the tiger looked around, and gave a purr, and then a growl. What did that mean? The man could not tell. Then the tiger just flung upon the man some of the sand from the side of the hollow.

2. A throaty, seductive sound of pleasure made by a person.
   • 2006, Brenda Williamson, Wolverton Blood (page 53)

     The trill of her purr echoed inside his mouth when he kissed her again. Clutching at his shirt, her fingers traveled the muscles in his back.

3. The low consistent rumble made by an engine at slow speed
   • 1997, Susan Wood, A Fly in Amber (page 191)

     I sat still in the car and listened to the soft purr of the engine and my beating heart. Then slowly, and as silently as possible, I drove the car back to camp.

Derived terms

• purrfect
• purrlike

Translations

vibrating sound made by a cat when contented

Bulgarian: мъркане n (mǎrkane) Chinese: Cantonese: please add this translation if you can Mandarin: 咕嚕咕嚕聲／咕噜咕噜声 (zh) (gūlǔgūlǔ shēng), 貓喘音／猫喘音 (māochuǎnyīn), 貓喘鳴／猫喘鸣 (māochuǎnmíng) Dutch: spinnen (nl) n Finnish: kehräys, kehrääminen (fi) French: ronron (fr) m, ronronnement (fr) m Georgian: კრუტუნი (ḳruṭuni) German: Schnurren (de) n Greek: γουργούρισμα (el) n (gourgoúrisma) Hindi: घुरघुराहट (hi) (ghurghurāhaṭ) Hungarian: dorombolás (hu) Interlingua: ronron Irish: crónán m Italian: fusa (it) f pl Japanese: Malay: please add this translation if you can Ottoman Turkish: طر‎ (dır) Polish: mruczenie (pl) n Portuguese: ronrom (pt) m (Portugal), rom-rom m (Brazil) Romanian: tors (ro) n Russian: мурлы́канье (ru) n (murlýkanʹje) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: предење n Roman: predenje (sh) n Slovak: pradenie n Spanish: ronroneo (es) m Turkish: mırlama (tr), mırıltı (tr), mır Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can Walloon: ronflaedje (wa) m, ronfelmint (wa) m Welsh: grwndi m, crwth m (South)

Interjection

purr

1. Throat vibrating sound made by a cat.

Translations

Translations

Chinese: Mandarin: 呼嚕／呼噜 (zh) (hūlū) Japanese: ゴロゴロ (gorogoro) (onomatopoeia) Polish: mru (pl) Russian: мур (ru) (mur), мур-мур (ru) (mur-mur), мур-р-р (mur-r-r)

See also

• meow

Anagrams

• RURP