▪ I. shrill, n.
(ʃrɪl)
[f. shrill v. Cf. shirl n.]
A shrill sound, cry, whistle, etc.
| 1591 Spenser Ruins of Time 581, I heard a voyce, which loudly to me called, That with the sudden shrill I was appalled. 1833 Brewster Nat. Magic viii. 179 The wiry shrill of the Jew's harp. 1893 Month Sept. 19 The ceaseless shrill of the Cicala. 1904 Macnaughtan Gift i. vi, The Gillie-Callum ended with a final shrill of the pipes. |
b. Comb.:
shrill-vein = shrilling-organ.
| 1880 Swinton Insect Variety 163 In Odontura Fischeri..the shrill-vein [is] simply bowed instead of S-shaped. |
▪ II. shrill, a. and adv. (
ʃrɪl)
Also 4
shrille, 4–5
schrylle, 5
shrille,
shrylle,
scrylle, 6
shryll,
superl. shrilst, 6–7
shril, 7
schril. (See also
shirl a.)
[ME. shrille, related to LG. schrell of sharp tone or taste, G. schrill (late 18th cent.). Cf. shrill v.] A. adj. 1. Of voice, sound: Of a sharp high-pitched piercing tone.
| c 1386 Chaucer Nun's Pr. T. 575 (Hengwrt MS.), Ne made he neuere showtes half so shrille [MSS. Ellesm. & Lansd. s(c)hill(e] When þat they wolden any flemyng kille. c 1400 [see shrike n.1]. 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. (1904) 15 All voyces, great and small, base & shril, weke or softe. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. Ind. ii. 48 Thy hounds shall..fetch shrill ecchoes from the hollow earth. 1661 Lovell Hist. Anim. & Min. Isagoge, That [sc. the noise] of the bee is humming, but it's shrill in the grassehopper. 1667 Milton P.L. v. 7 The shrill Matin Song Of Birds. 1742 Collins Ecl. iv. 72 Loud along the vale was heard A shriller shriek. 1860 Tyndall Glac. ii. i. 229 The shrill chirruping of innumerable insects. 1885 ‘Mrs. Alexander’ At Bay i, A sweet, slightly shrill soprano. |
2. a. Emitting or producing a sound of this kind: of persons or animals, their throats, etc.
| 1508 Stanbridge Vulgaria (W. de W.) B v b, My brest is shryll. Vox mea est sonora. 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. i. ii. 16, I heare a Tongue shriller then all the Musicke Cry, Cæsar. 1605 1st Pt. Jeronimo iii. i, Weele be as shrill as you: strike a larum, drum. 1738 Wesley Ps. cxlvii. x, Let the shrill Birds his Honours raise. 1784 Cowper Task iv. 569 The first larum of the cock's shrill throat. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. III. i. vii, Shrill women cry shame on us. 1866 Mysteries of Isis 207 Churl and noble, fair lady and shrill fish-wife. 1901 Macm. Mag. Apr. 447/1 One of his colleagues became shrill on the subject. |
b. of an instrument or other inanimate object.
| 1567 R. Edwards Damon & Pithias (1571) B ij b, Whose vertue, the shrill trump of fame so farre hath blowne. 1603 E. Fairfax Ecl. iv, Ambling along the meads and rivers shrill. 1604 Shakes. Oth. iii. iii. 351 Farewell the neighing Steed, and the shrill Trumpe. 1704 Pope Windsor Forest 96 Wind the shrill horn. 1819 Scott Ivanhoe xxx, The blast of a shrill bugle. 1835 Marryat Jacob Faithful xxxviii, The shrill whistles of the boatswain and his mates piping all hands to unmoor. |
3. Characterized or accompanied by sharp high-pitched sounds.
| 1725 Pope Odyss. iv. 1013 Shrill ecstasies of joy. 1812 Byron Ch. Har. i. xiii. iv, Let winds be shrill, let waves roll high. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. III. iii. vi, A shrill scene, but a brief one. 1844 Kinglake Eothen i, In a shrill and busy hotel. 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. i. vi, The night was black and shrill. 1893 Pater Plato 209 A single day of somewhat shrill gaiety, between two days of significant mourning. |
4. In various
transf. applications: Keen; sharp; pungent; poignant. Also of colours: bright, glaring.
| 1608 Topsell Serpents 57 A shrill and quicke sence of hearing. 1650 Vaughan Silex Scint. Admission, How shrill are silent tears! 1864 Tennyson Voyage 12 The Lady's-head upon the prow Caught the shrill salt. 1904 M. Hewlett Queen's Quair i. viii, The Court went thither [i.e. to St. Andrews] with various great affairs in train, whose conduct throve in that shrill air. 1973 D. Lessing Coll. Afr. Stories II. 117 She wore a tight shrill green dress. |
5. Comb., as
shrill-accented,
shrill-mouthed,
shrill-sounding,
shrill-toned,
shrill-tongued,
shrill-voiced (also
transf. and
fig.)
adjs.;
† shrill-bated, with a shrill sound as of voices in strife;
† shrill-breasted,
† -gorged, shrill-voiced, shrill-throated.
| 1896 Kipling Seven Seas 162 Inopportune, *shrill-accented, The acrid Asiatic mirth. |
| 1582 Stanyhurst æneis i. 13 Gates with the metal dooe creake in *shrilbated harshing. |
| 1594 Nashe Unfort. Trav. H 2 b, As many sortes of *shrill breasted birdes as the Summer hath allowed for singing men in hir siluane chappels. |
| 1855 Tennyson Maud i. i. iv, The *shrill-edged shriek of a mother. |
| 1605 Shakes. Lear iv. vi. 58 The *shrill-gorg'd Larke. |
| 1658 Rowland tr. Moufet's Theat. Ins. 953 It maketh a *shril-like noise as the other kindes of Gnats do. |
| 1621 Quarles Argalus & P. (1678) 84 The *shrill-mouth'd Musick. |
| 1838 Poe Narr. Arthur Gordon Pym xxiii. 188 A *shrill-sounding and phantom voice screamed within my ears. |
| 1813 Walker Poems 90 (Jod.) Thro' night's dim arch the *shrillton'd Ezzan rings. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair liv, The shrill-toned bell of the..clock. |
| 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 849 Like *shrill-tongu'd Tapsters answering euerie call. 1743 Blair Grave 532 The shrill-tongu'd Shrew. 1879 Morley Burke viii. 176 The eager, bustling, shrill-tongued crowd of the Voltairean age. |
| a 1649 Drummond of Hawthornden Poems Wks. (1711) 37 The gawdy hunts-man winds his *shrill-tun'd horn. |
| 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, v. iii. 75 What *shrill-voic'd Suppliant, makes this eager cry? 1628 R. H. Owen's Epigrams iv. No. 156. 33 The World's so full of shrill-voyc'd iangling. 1728–46 Thomson Spring 590 The lark, Shrill-voiced and loud. 1895 Mrs. Wilson 5 Yrs. India 271 ‘My husband’ is the shrill-voiced reply. |
| 1920 A. Huxley Leda 15 The sky Was full of strange tumult suddenly—Beating of mighty wings and shrill-voiced fear. 1960 R. Campbell tr. Pa{cced}o d'Arcos's Nostalgia 44 The voiceless city of the shrill-voiced lights. |
B. adv. 1. a. With a shrill voice or tone; shrilly. Now
rare.
| 13.. Coer de L. 3999 For scorne he gan to lawghe schrylle. a 1450 Le Morte Arth. 1376 ‘Mercy!’ she cryed loude and shrylle. c 1515 Cocke Lorell's B. 14 The bote swayne blewe his whystell full shryll. 1592 Kyd Murther I. Brewen Wks. (1901) 287 The blood of the iust Abel cried most shrill in the eares of the righteous God. 1632 Milton L'Allegro 56 Through the high wood echoing shrill. 1742 Collins Ecl. ii. 10 Shrill roar'd the winds. 1821 Scott Kenilw. xxv, Men laughed loud, and maidens giggled shrill. 1829 ― Anne of G. xii, I promise you the wind blew shrill. |
b. Qualifying a
ppl. adj. used
attrib. (often hyphened).
| 1562 J. Heywood Prov. (1867) 152 A shryll whystlyng wenche. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, iii. iii. 35 Your shrill-shriking Daughters. 1602 ― Ham. i. i. 151 The Cocke..with his lofty and shrill-sounding [Qo. 1603 shrill crowing] Throate. 1652 Benlowes Theoph. i. lxii, Shall Larks with shrill-chirpt Mattens rouze from Bed..Sols orient Head? 1867 Morris Jason ii. 298 While the harp-string and shrill-piping reed Still sounded. 1878 Masque of Poets 105 The shrill-blown trumpets. |
† 2. Clearly, brightly.
Obs.| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 80 Wyth schymerynge schene ful schrylle þay schynde. |
▪ III. shrill, v. (
ʃrɪl)
Also 4
schrille, 4–6
shrille, 5
shrelle, [
skrille], 6–7
shril.
[f. shrill a. Cf. G. schrillen.] 1. intr. Of a voice, cry: To sound shrilly. Hence of noises, the wind, or the like, or a place echoing with sound.
| 13.. K. Alis. 777 Bulsifal neied so loude, That hit schrillith into the cloude! 1582 Stanyhurst æneis ii. 35 The inner lodgins dyd shrille with clamorus howting. 1591 Spenser Virg. Gnat 518 Their mightie strokes so shrild, As the great clap of thunder. 1647 H. More Song of Soul ii. App. iii, Its tearing noise so terribly did shrill, That it the heavens did shake. 1782 Mickle Proph. Q. Emma iv, When the female scream ascended, Shrilling o'er the crowded lawn. 1811 Scott Don Roderick ii. xix, First shrill'd an unrepeated female shriek! 1842 Tennyson Morte d'Arthur 201 A wind, that shrills All night in a waste land. 1884 L. Wallace Ben-Hur iv. iv. 166 His voice shrilled with passion. |
2. To speak, cry, or sing with a shrill voice; to make a shrill noise.
a. Of persons or animals.
| [c 1400 Anturs of Arth. xlviii, Þene his lemmane one loft skrilles and skrikes.] c 1440 Floriz & Bl. (MS. T) 756 Þe mayde, al for drede, Bygan to shrelle [earlier MSS. crie, schrichen] and to grede. 1595 Spenser Epithal. 82 The Ouzell shrills, the Ruddock warbles soft. 1598 Florio, Querulare..to shril, to..chirp. 1639 H. Ainsworth Annot. Ps. v. 12 To showt, shrill, or cry aloud for sorrow. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. III. ii. vi. (1872) 81 The Tribune drones,..the whole Hall shrilling up round it into pretty frequent wrath and provocation. 1896 A. Austin England's Darling i. ii, The misselthrush That shrilled so gleefully. |
b. Of an instrument of music, whistle, etc.
| 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. Nov. 71 Breake we our pypes, that shrild as lowde as Larke. 1590 ― F.Q. ii. iii. 20 A horne, that shrilled cleare Throughout the wood. 1710 Philips Pastorals iv. 56 Thro' all the Wood his Pipe is heard to shrill. 1842 Tennyson Sir Galahad 5 The shattering trumpet shrilleth high. 1879 E. Gosse New Poems 100 The first sharp snow is shrilling through the trees. 1903 Kipling Five Nations 114 The whistle shrills to the picket. |
3. trans. To utter, give forth (a sound, cry, words) in shrill tones; to exclaim or proclaim with a shrill voice. Also with
out.
| 1595 Spenser Epithal. 129 Harke, how the Minstrels gin to shrill aloud Their merry Musick. 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. v. iii. 84 Harke..How poore Andromache shrils her dolour forth. 1613 Heywood Silver Age iii. i, Through all th' Abysse, I haue shril'd thy daughters losse. 1613 ― Brazen Age ii. ii, What better can describe his shape and terror Then all the pittious clamours shrild through Greece? |
| 1801 Lusignan I. 173 The terror of the feathered tribe, shrilled in the omens of an approaching tempest. 1817 Coleridge Biog. Lit. xxi. (1882) 205 Gnats, beetles, wasps,..may shrill their tiny pipes..unchastised and unnoticed. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. I. v. ii, ‘Messieurs’, shrills de Brézé. 1904 M. Hewlett Queen's Quair i. vii, Lethington likened her to Diana on Taygetus shrilling havoc. 1947 A. Ransome Great Northern? i. 16 Roger's voice shrilled out, ‘Sail HO!’ 1975 New Yorker 16 June 97/3 It was a lapse on Miss Sills' part to shrill out a high E flat at the end of the first finale, but otherwise she was tender, touching, and sensitive. |
4. To render shrill.
rare—1.
| 1772 Foote Nabob Prol. Wks. 1799 II. 285 If age contracts my muscles, shrills my tone. |
5. To summon with a shrill sound.
rare—1.
| 1859 Masson Brit. Novelists iii. 204 The pibroch shrills them to the work they do. |