Other forms: purring, purrs
To purr is to make the low rumbling sound of a contented cat. The cat purred, a loud purr, purring in your lap.
Cats purr on both the in-breath and the out-breath, which is unusual, and they do it when content and also when in pain or frightened — so a purr is not simply a sign of happiness. The frequency is around 25 hertz, which some research suggests may promote healing. Note purr as a compliment about engines: the engine purred.
1verbpurrTo make the low rumbling sound of a contented cat.
“The cat curled up on my lap and began to purr.”
2nounsoundSuch a sound.
“The purr runs at roughly twenty-five hertz.”
purr is a low rumbling sound.
The word is onomatopoeic, first recorded in the sixteenth century. It is simply what the noise sounds like in English.
Onomatopoeic. Cat purring (Mimi).ogg
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Pets & Pet Care