murmur: Meaning and Definition of

mur•mur

Pronunciation: (mûr'mur), [key]
— n.
  1. a low, continuous sound, as of a brook, the wind, or trees, or of low, indistinct voices.
  2. a mumbled or private expression of discontent.
  3. Also called
    1. an abnormal sound heard on listening to the heart, usually through a stethoscope, produced by the blood passing through deformed cardiac valves.
    2. in some persons a similar sound heard when blood passes through normal valves.
  4. a voice quality in which vibration of the vocal cords is accompanied by the escape of a great deal of air, as in the (h) of ahead; breathy voice.
—v.i.
  1. to make a low or indistinct sound, esp. continuously.
  2. to speak in a low tone or indistinctly.
  3. to complain in a low tone or in private.
—v.t.
  1. to sound by murmurs.
  2. to utter in a low tone: He murmured a threat as he left the room.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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