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shrill

(shrĭl)

adj. shrill·er, shrill·est

1. High-pitched and piercing in tone or sound: the shrill wail of a siren.

2. Producing a sharp, high-pitched tone or sound: a shrill fife.

3. Sharp or keen to the senses; harshly vivid: shrill colors.

v. shrilled, shrill·ing, shrills

v.tr.

To utter in a shrill manner; scream.

v.intr.

To produce a shrill cry or sound.

[Middle English shrille.]

shrillness n.

shrilly adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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