Meaning of "purr" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD PURR

Of imitative origin; compare French ronronner to purr, German schnurren, Dutch snorren.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF PURR

purr  [pɜː]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF PURR

Purr is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb purr in English.

WHAT DOES PURR MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Purr

A purr is a sound made by all species of felids. It varies between cats, and from species to species, but can be characterized as a tonal buzzing. The term "purring" has been used liberally in literature, and it has been claimed that viverrids, bears, badgers, hyaenas purr. Other animals that have been said to purr are rabbits, squirrels, guinea pigs, tapirs, ring-tailed lemurs, elephants, raccoons and gorillas while eating. However, using a strict definition of purring that continuous sound production must alternate between pulmonic egressive and ingressive airstream, Peters, in an exhaustive review of the scientific literature, reached the conclusion that until then only ‘purring cats’ and two species of genets, Genetta tigrina, and most likely also Genetta genetta, had been documented to purr.

Definition of purr in the English dictionary

The first definition of purr in the dictionary is to make a low vibrant sound, usually considered as expressing pleasure, etc. Other definition of purr is to express by this sound. Purr is also a purring sound.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO PURR

PRESENT

Present

I purr

you purr

he/she/it purrs

we purr

you purr

they purr

Present continuous

I am purring

you are purring

he/she/it is purring

we are purring

you are purring

they are purring

Present perfect

I have purred

you have purred

he/she/it has purred

we have purred

you have purred

they have purred

Present perfect continuous

I have been purring

you have been purring

he/she/it has been purring

we have been purring

you have been purring

they have been purring

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I purred

you purred

he/she/it purred

we purred

you purred

they purred

Past continuous

I was purring

you were purring

he/she/it was purring

we were purring

you were purring

they were purring

Past perfect

I had purred

you had purred

he/she/it had purred

we had purred

you had purred

they had purred

Past perfect continuous

I had been purring

you had been purring

he/she/it had been purring

we had been purring

you had been purring

they had been purring

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will purr

you will purr

he/she/it will purr

we will purr

you will purr

they will purr

Future continuous

I will be purring

you will be purring

he/she/it will be purring

we will be purring

you will be purring

they will be purring

Future perfect

I will have purred

you will have purred

he/she/it will have purred

we will have purred

you will have purred

they will have purred

Future perfect continuous

I will have been purring

you will have been purring

he/she/it will have been purring

we will have been purring

you will have been purring

they will have been purring

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would purr

you would purr

he/she/it would purr

we would purr

you would purr

they would purr

Conditional continuous

I would be purring

you would be purring

he/she/it would be purring

we would be purring

you would be purring

they would be purring

Conditional perfect

I would have purr

you would have purr

he/she/it would have purr

we would have purr

you would have purr

they would have purr

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been purring

you would have been purring

he/she/it would have been purring

we would have been purring

you would have been purring

they would have been purring

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you purr
we let´s purr
you purr

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to purr

Past participle

purred

Present Participle

purring

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

TRANSLATION OF PURR

Find out the translation of purr to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of purr from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «purr» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 猫打呼噜
• Translator English - Spanish: ronronear
• English: purr
• Translator English - Hindi: म्याऊँ
• Translator English - Arabic: يُخَرْخِر
• Translator English - Russian: урчать
• Translator English - Portuguese: ronronar
• Translator English - Bengali: গরগর আওয়াজ
• Translator English - French: ronronner
• Translator English - Malay: Purr
• Translator English - German: schnurren
• Translator English - Japanese: ゴロゴロとのどを鳴らす
• Translator English - Korean: 가르랑거리다
• Translator English - Javanese: Purr
• Translator English - Vietnamese: rên gừ gừ
• Translator English - Tamil: Purr
• Translator English - Marathi: Purr
• Translator English - Turkish: mırlamak
• Translator English - Italian: fare le fusa
• Translator English - Polish: mruknąć
• Translator English - Ukrainian: муркотіти
• Translator English - Romanian: a toarce
• Translator English - Greek: γουργουρίζω
• Translator English - Afrikaans: purr
• Translator English - Swedish: spinna
• Translator English - Norwegian: male

5 QUOTES WITH «PURR»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word purr.

1

Robert Byrne

To err is human, to purr feline.

2

Vince Cable

I am going to confront the old-fashioned negative thinking which says that all government needs to do to generate growth is cut worker and environmental protections, cut taxes on the rich and stroke 'fat cats' until they purr with pleasure. I'm completely repudiating the idea that government has to get out of the way.

3

Martin Delany

If we treated everyone we meet with the same affection we bestow upon our favorite cat, they, too, would purr.

4

Dean Inge

A cat can be trusted to purr when she is pleased, which is more than can be said for human beings.

5

Buddy Rice

When the car's going well, I purr like a kitten.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «PURR»

Discover the use of purr in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to purr and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Have You Got My Purr?

Little Kitten knows that all cats purr - so why cant she purr too? "Have you got my purr?" she asks Dog, but Dog has only his woof. Perhaps Cow has her purr? Or Sheep?

Judy West, 2006

Purr

Here is a poetry built of sensory data so sharply honed as to make even the mundane microfibre of the quotidian stone path a journey, a finding, a deep understanding of the world.

Mary Ann Samyn, 2005

Pups and Purr-sonalities to Paint

Man's best friend. The purr-fect pal. Ever wonder why so many cliches in the English language refer to our pets? It has to be that the four-pawed people truly are bright spots in our lives.

‎2008

Why Do Kittens Purr?

Simple rhymes tell why kittens, bears, kangaroos, and other animals behave the way they do.

Marion Dane Bauer, 2003

Make the Cougar Purr

Hannah, a middle-aged woman, survived her husband's constant infidelity by drowning her sorrow in booze and spending his money freely.

Sonja Paris, Tahlia Day, 2010

The Cosmic Purr: Poems

The first collection of original poetry from Poochigian, well-known for his translations of Sappho, Aeschylus, Aratus, and Apollonius of Rhodes, is enlightened by uncommonly fresh wisdom and deployed in the delightfully masterful, elegant, ...

Aaron Poochigian, 2012

Purr-Fect Shiatsu: Tender Touches for the 90's Cat

Use the ancient Asian practice of shiatsu to relax your cats & improve their health!

Jeffrey Ranbom, 1993

The Cat's Purr

Cat and Rat are friends, but when Rat tricks Cat and plays the cat drum, which only cats may play, Cat ends up swallowing the drum, and that is how he got his purr.

‎1985

Purr-fect Recipes for a Healthy Cat: 101 Natural Cat Food & ...

This book has been carefully researched and compiled to provide you and your cat more than 100 healthy recipes that will help your cat live the best possible lifestyle.

Lisa Shiroff, 2011

Purr: Children's Book Illustrators Brag About Their Cats

A collection of anecdotes about cats by forty-two children's book illustrators including David Diaz, Janell Cannon, Steven Kellogg, and Diane Stanley.

Michael J. Rosen, 1996

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «PURR»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term purr is used in the context of the following news items.

Purr now, play later: Cats take it easy for 'Paw Star Game'

New York Yankees radio announcer John Sterling and sports commentator Mary Carillo call each "purr-fect" play. During practice rounds, they commented on ... «Yahoo News UK, Jul 15»

'Purring' Wolf Spiders Softly Serenade Mates

Male wolf spiders use “purring” vibrations to serenade their sweethearts, but this wooing only works if the females can feel these vibrations, new research finds. «Discovery News, Jun 15»

Merlin the Cat Sets Guinness World Record For Loudest Purr …

One cat, 13-year-old Merlin, recently made waves by being crowned the "King of Purrs." The black and white feline was adopted from a local shelter. «Latinos Post, May 15»

Cat Wins Guiness World Record for the Loudest Purr

By Cassidee MoserA British cat has claimed the Guiness World Record for having the loudest purr for a domestic cat. At 67.8 decibels (dB), Merlin the cat's purr ... «IGN, May 15»

Why do cats purr?

Purring is a way cats communicate with us and each other. Blind and deaf newborn kittens immediately respond to the vibrations of their mother cat's purrs to ... «Victoria Advocate, Apr 15»

Is this the world's loudest PURR? Pet cat Bluey registers 93 decibels

Mis Thomas added: 'Bluey purrs all the time. She just has to see someone and she starts purring. She purrs when she's playing and she purrs when she's eating ... «Daily Mail, Apr 15»

Fussy felines will have purr-fect seaside retreat when five-star cat …

Fussy felines can enjoy a purr-fect stay by the seaside when this amazing five star cat hotel opens. The Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel in Birkdale, Southport, is due ... «mirror.co.uk, Mar 15»

The purr-fect place for ageing cats: Charity creates first home for …

An animal-loving charity boss claims she's created Britain's first dedicated retirement home for cats - or OAPs (Old Age Pussycats), as they're now known. «Mirror.co.uk, Feb 15»

Cat fights with record labels for rights to its own purr, after YouTube …

YouTube's automatic system for recognising copyright infringement flagged the purr as potentially being stolen — the automated system thought that the sound ... «The Independent, Feb 15»

Brisbane Lions to purr along without Pearce Hanley says captain …

But captain Tom Rockliff says the Lions will purr along in 2015 after Pearce Hanley's horror injury diagnosis thanks to a new-look midfield group he believes is ... «The Age, Feb 15»