noun
murmuration
Murmuration (noun) means a quiet, continuous sound made when people speak in low voices.
noun
1
A quiet, continuous sound made when people speak in low voices.
2
A large flock of starlings flying together in swirling shapes.
"The same dynamics can be seen in starlings: On clear winter evenings, murmurations of the tiny blackish birds gather in Rome’s sunset skies, wheeling about like rustling cloth."
— Ed Yong, How the Science of Swarms Can Help Us Fight Cancer and Predict the Future (2013)
"Professor Anne Goodenough, an applied ecologist at the University of Gloucestershire who led the research, said: ‘It appears murmuration has become the norm – a general way for the starlings to stay safe from predators.’"
— , Solved, the riddle of starlings' aerial ballet: Birds use acrobatics to ward off creatures of prey (2017)
3
A pattern of organised behaviour that appears when many individuals act together as a group.
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Etymology
1350–1400; Medieval Latin murmuratio (“murmuring, grumbling”), equivalent to murmur + -ation. The “flock of starlings” sense is probably derived from the sound of the very large groups that starlings form at dusk.
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Rhymes for murmuration
region
ablation
allusion
emulsion
ideation
novation
diffusion
elocution
extension
oxidation
perfusion
selection
See all rhymes for murmuration →
Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of murmuration?
"murmuration" (noun) means a quiet, continuous sound made when people speak in low voices.
What is another word for murmuration?
Other words for "murmuration" include mutter, muttering, mussitation, murmuring, murmur.
What are the different meanings of murmuration?
"murmuration" has 3 main meanings: 1. A quiet, continuous sound made when people speak in low voices; 2. A large flock of starlings flying together in swirling shapes; 3. A pattern of organised behaviour that appears when many individuals act together as a group.
