Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

murmuration

/ˌmɝməˈɹeɪʃən/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.43 in modern English

Syllables: mur-mu-ra-tion
IPA: /ˌmɝməˈɹeɪʃən/

15

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An act or instance of murmuring.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A flock of starlings, in particular when swarming in swirling patterns.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

An emergent order in a multi-agent social system.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

""Oh! I wasted most of my morning crawling to a murmuration of starlings, which I foolishly mistook for congregation of plover.""
"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."
"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.’"

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.

Word Breakdown

Root: murmuratio

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌmɝməˈɹeɪʃən/
British English: /ˌmɜːməˈɹeɪʃən/

Usage

Inflected Forms

murmurations (plural)

Synonyms

mutter muttering murmur murmuring mussitation

Rhymes With

information education situation population station association administration operation organization head station nation location

Questions

How do you pronounce murmuration?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌmɝməˈɹeɪʃən/.
What does murmuration mean?: An act or instance of murmuring.
Where does murmuration come from?: 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.

How to pronounce murmuration

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “murmuration”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌmɝməˈɹeɪʃən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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