What is "murmur"

Murmur \Mur"mur\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Murmured; p. pr. & vb. n. Murmuring.] [F. murmurer, L. murmurare, murmurari, fr. murmur murmur; cf. Gr. ? to roar and boil, said of water, Skr. marmara a rustling sound; prob. of imitative origin.]

1. To make a low continued noise, like the hum of bees, a stream of water, distant waves, or the wind in a forest.

   They murmured as doth a swarm of bees.
   --Chaucer.

2. To utter complaints in a low, half-articulated voice; to feel or express dissatisfaction or discontent; to grumble; -- often with at or against. ``His disciples murmured at it.'' --John vi. 6

   1. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron.
      --Num. xiv.

   2. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured.
      --1 Cor. x. 10.

Murmur \Mur"mur\, v. t. To utter or give forth in low or indistinct words or sounds; as, to murmur tales.
--Shak.

The people murmured such things concerning him.
--John vii. 32.

Murmur \Mur"mur\, n. [F. murmure: cf. L. murmur. CF. Murmur, v. i.]

1. A low, confused, and indistinct sound, like that of running water.

2. A complaint half suppressed, or uttered in a low, muttering voice.
   --Chaucer.

   Some discontents there are, some idle murmurs.
   --Dryden.

late 14c., "expression of discontent by grumbling," from Old French murmure "murmur, sound of human voices; trouble, argument" (12c.), noun of action from murmurer "to murmur," from Latin murmurare "to murmur, mutter," from murmur (n.) "a hum, muttering, rushing," probably from a PIE reduplicative base *mor-mor, of imitative origin (cognates: Sanskrit murmurah "crackling fire," Greek mormyrein "to roar, boil," Lithuanian murmlenti "to murmur"). Meaning "softly spoken words" is from 1670s.

late 14c., from Old French murmurer "murmur, grouse, grumble" (12c.), from murmur "rumbling noise" (see murmur (n.)). Related: Murmured; murmuring.

n. 1 (context countable English) Low or indistinct sounds or speech. 2 (context medicine English) The sound made by any condition which produces noisy, or turbulent, flow of blood through the heart. 3 A muttered complaint or protest; the expression of dissatisfaction in a low muttering voice; any expression of complaint or discontent vb. 1 (label en intransitive now rare) To grumble; to complain in a low, muttering voice, or express discontent (term: at) or (term: against) someone or something. (from 14th c.) 2 (label en intransitive) To speak or make low, indistinguishable noise; to mumble, mutter. (from 14th c.)

1. v. speak softly or indistinctly; "She murmured softly to the baby in her arms"

2. make complaining remarks or noises under one's breath; "she grumbles when she feels overworked" [syn: mutter, grumble, croak, gnarl]

1. n. a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech [syn: mutter, muttering, murmuring, murmuration, mussitation]

2. a schwa that is incidental to the pronunciation of a consonant [syn: murmur vowel]

3. an abnormal sound of the heart; sometimes a sign of abnormal function of the heart valves [syn: heart murmur, cardiac murmur]

4. a complaint uttered in a low and indistinct tone [syn: grumble, grumbling, murmuring, mutter, muttering]

Murmur usually means:

• Breathy voice, a type of phonation in speech, also known as a "murmured voice"
• Heart murmur, a pathologic heart sound produced as a result of turbulent blood

It can also refer to:

Murmur is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1983 on I.R.S. Records. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its unusual sound, defined by singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics, guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style, and bassist Mike Mills' melodic basslines.

Murmur, in comics, may refer to:

• Murmur (DC Comics), a DC Comics supervillain
• Murmur (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics superhero

Murmur is the name of two fictional characters who appear in the Marvel Comics universe.

Murmur is an acoustic drone ensemble from New Orleans who play tone/space improvisations based on a single note. Originally founded by minimalist sound artist potpie (musician) and recording on the Backporch Revolution label, the membership changes with each performance/recording and has contained anywhere from two to twelve members.

They are most noted for recording the 2007 release "Fermata" live entirely inside a fermentation tank the Dixie Brewery in New Orleans shortly before Hurricane Katrina.

Releases include:

• Subterranean Raga, Vol. 1 (2002)
• Release (2003)
• Fermata: The Dixie Brewery Fermentation Tank Session (2007)

Murmur is the second EP from The Sight Below, released on October 27, 2009. It contains two new songs and three remixes of other The Sight Below songs (two from Glider and one from No Place for Us) by Eluvium, Simon Scott, and iconic Norwegian ambient producer Biosphere.

In demonology, Murmur is a Great Duke and Earl of Hell, and has thirty legions of demons under his command. He teaches Philosophy, and can oblige the souls of the deceased to appear before the conjurer to answer every desired question. Before his rebellion against God, Murmur held the name "Matthias."

Murmur is depicted as a soldier riding a Vulture or a Griffin, and wearing a ducal crown. Two of his ministers go before him making the sound of trumpets. 'Murmur' in Latin means noise, whisper, murmur, and the sound of the trumpet. Some authors portray him simply as a vulture.

Other spelling: Murmus, Murmuur, Murmux.

Murmur was a record label that started as an imprint of Sony Music Australia in mid- 1994. Named after REM's first album, Murmur signed a number of Australia's most successful rock bands, including Silverchair, Ammonia, Something for Kate and Jebediah. Notable alumni of Murmur are John O'Donnell, a former Rolling Stone journalist who became the head of EMI Australia, and John Watson, who runs a music management company and independent record label, Eleven.

Murmur is a hybrid studio/technology company that creates and distributes social films. It was formed in 2010 by producer Mike Knowlton and writer/director Hal Siegel.

Murmur released its first film, Him, Her and Them in April 2011. As the first ever social film, it was distributed as a Facebook application. The film blends conventional visual formats like video and photography with social media capabilities such as comments and utilization Facebook's friend and profile picture functionalities. Murmur's next project is currently in development. Knowlton says that "It takes the idea of social mechanics, of loops, a step further."

Both Knowlton and Siegel are published on the topic of social media mechanics. Knowlton has been featured on Tribeca Film's Future of Film blog and Siegel has been featured twice on Ted Hope's Indiewire blog, Hope for Film.