Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Murmuring; discontent; grumbling.
  • noun In falconry, a gathering of starlings.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete The act of murmuring; a murmur.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An act or instance of murmuring.
  • noun A flock of starlings.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

1350-1400; Medieval Latin murmuratio.

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Examples

  • Starlings are great virtuosi, wonderful mimics as well as splendid singers, and incorporate so many different sounds into their songs that a flock of them is called a murmuration.

    Birdology Sy Montgomery 2010

  • Thousands of birds, known as a murmuration, are currently roosting in the Obridge area of Taunton and County Gazette photographer Geoff Hall (pictured) took the once-in-a-lifetime shot from the Obridge Link.

    unknown title 2009

  • Thousands of birds, known as a murmuration, are currently roosting in the Obridge area of Taunton and County Gazette photographer Geoff Hall (pictured) took the once-in-a-lifetime shot from the Obridge Link.

    unknown title 2009

  • Thousands of birds, known as a murmuration, are currently roosting in the Obridge area of Taunton and County Gazette photographer Geoff Hall (pictured) took the once-in-a-lifetime shot from the Obridge Link.

    unknown title 2009

  • A starling flock like this is called a murmuration, a word that perfectly describes the rustle of thousands of pairs of wings.

    The Independent - Frontpage RSS Feed 2008

  • A starling flock like this is called a murmuration, a word that perfectly describes the rustle of thousands of pairs of wings.

    The Independent - Frontpage RSS Feed 2008

  • 'murmuration' make fantastical shapes as the flock wheel and dive through the air.

    Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2010

  • 'murmuration' make fantastical shapes as the flock wheel and dive through the air.

    Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2010

  • Don Tapscott has written persuasively about the mechanism and culture of collaboration, and even produced a wonderful video on the notion of weak -- even unintelligent -- signals that result in glorious patterns of starling murmuration.

    Mehret Mandefro: The Revelation of Relevance Mehret Mandefro 2011

  • Don Tapscott has written persuasively about the mechanism and culture of collaboration, and even produced a wonderful video on the notion of weak -- even unintelligent -- signals that result in glorious patterns of starling murmuration.

    Mehret Mandefro: The Revelation of Relevance Mehret Mandefro 2011

Comments

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  • See murmuration of starlings

    November 16, 2007

  • When one watches a murmuration of starlings fly over a lake synchronized en masse, the next question has to be, "I wonder if there is a murmuration of trout swimming below?"

    January 25, 2014