Definition of purr Entry 1 of 2. Definition of purr Entry 2 of 2. Synonyms for purr Synonyms: Noun burr , buzz , chirr , churr , drone , hum , thrum , whir also whirr , whiz or whizz , zoom Visit the Thesaurus for More.
Examples of purr in a Sentence Noun the soft purr of a car engine listened to the reassuring purr of the car engine Verb The cat was purring contentedly in my lap. The cars were purring along the highway.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Last week a team of cleveland. First Known Use of purr Noun circa , in the meaning defined above Verb , in the meaning defined at sense 1.
History and Etymology for purr Noun imitative. Buying Guide Our team at The Usage has selected the best cat food of Learn More About purr. Also Archaic , pur. Origin of purr First recorded in —; imitative. Words nearby purr purpura simplex , purpure , purpuric , purpurin , purpurinuria , purr , purree , purse , purse crab , pursed lips breathing , purse-proud. Words related to purr hum , murmur , sing , sound. The obvious observation is cats seem to purr when they're pleased and feeling good.
But that's not always the case: Some cats also purr when they're hungry, injured, or frightened. And most surprisingly, purring frequencies have been shown to stimulate bone regeneration—yes, bone regeneration. Cats purr by using their larynx and diaphragm muscles, both as they inhale and as they exhale, although just how the central nervous system generates and controls those contractions isn't yet understood.
Early 19th century taxonomists thought cats could either purr or roar, and split the family Felidae along these lines—"purrers' subfamily Felinae and 'roarers' subfamily Pantherinae. Today, though, taxonomists believe most cats can purr, with a few probable though not certain pantherine exceptions: lion, leopard, jaguar, tiger, snow leopard and clouded leopard. Cheetahs and cougars? Yeah, they purr. So, why do it? If it's a form of communication, it's meant for those near and dear, since cats purr at a frequency and volume too low to travel far.
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