singn.
/sɪŋ/, U.S. /sɪŋ/ 1. The sound made by a bullet or other projectile in its flight. In wider use: any noise produced by an inanimate object having the quality of a musical note.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > resonance or sonority > ringing sound > [noun] > ping > of bullet
ding1837
ping1855
pinge1860
sing1871
1871 Daily News 1 Mar. I distinctly heard the sing of the bullet overhead.
1897 C. Bigham With Turkish Army in Thessaly vi. 43 Here the first bullets began to pass over our heads; but from the sing we judged them to be spent.
1917 E. C. Middleton Way of Air 70 The familiar ‘sing’ of an approaching shell.
1930 Carmina Oct. 45 The sing Of a stone from the sling.
1930 Sel. Gloss. Motion Picture Techncian (Acad. Motion Pictures, Hollywood) Sing, undesirable high-frequency oscillations in the recording circuit.
2.
a. An act of singing; the power of singing. Also, a hearty sing-song or round of collective singing (chiefly U.S.).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > [noun] > instance of
songeOE
singingc1374
sing1850
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > [noun] > gift or power of singing
voice1667
sing1850
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > a performance > [noun] > sing-song
sing-song1769
sing1850
singing1860
sing-in1968
sing-along1973
1850 N. Kingsley Diary 1 Sept. (1914) 140 We had a fine sing in the Evening which put me in mind of home.
1875 I. L. Bird Hawaiian Archipel. xii. 175 There have been pleasant little gatherings for sewing..and on Sunday evenings what is colloquially termed, ‘a sing’.
1884 Congregationalist Feb. 103 An English audience..enjoy a good, hearty, congregational ‘sing’.
1895 Cent. Mag. Aug. 570/2 There had been a ‘sing’ at the house of Deacon Pelew.
1907 Cassell's Mag. Feb. 324/2 Why don't you sing..? You have heaps of ‘sing’ in you.
1924 P. Marks Plastic Age 137 Spring brought first rain and slush and then the ‘sings’. There was a fine stretch of lawn in the center of the campus, and on clear nights the students gathered there for a sing.
1932 A. Huxley Brave New World iv. 73 In the Ealing stadium a Delta gymnastic display and community sing was in progress.
1964 ‘J. H. Roberts’ Q Document (1965) ix. 211 Skiers were gathered around in an alcoholic community sing.
1972 Village Voice (N.Y.) 1 June 96/4 Open sing, Verdi's Requiem.
1981 Libr. Congr. Inf. Bull. 16 Jan. (Staff News) Staff members and their families gather in the Great Hall for the annual carol sing.
b. on the sing: (of a kettle) singing. Cf. sing v.1 6a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > resonance or sonority > other resonant sounds > [adverb] > of fermenting or heated liquid
on the sing1927
1927 W. Deeping Kitty xxx. 384 ‘All the kettles—.’..‘Two are boiling, miss; the other's on the sing.’
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
singv.1
/sɪŋ/, U.S. /sɪŋ/ I. intransitive.† 3. To chant or intone, in the performance of divine service; to say mass. Obsolete.
1. figurative.c825 Vesp. Psalter xxix. 13 Ðæt singe ðe wuldur min.a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. lv. 12 Mounteynes and hilles shul singe bifor ȝou preising.1611 Bible (King James) Job xxxviii. 7 The morning starres sang together. View more context for this quotation1757 T. Gray Ode II iii. ii, in Odes 20 Bright Rapture calls, and soaring, as she sings, Waves [etc.].1775 R. B. Sheridan Songs Duenna i. 1 Tell me, my lute, can thy fond strain..So softly sing, so humbly sigh.1871 J. R. Lowell My Study Windows 432 I do not think that Pope's verse anywhere sings.
a. To articulate or utter words or sounds in succession with musical inflections or modulations of the voice, so as to produce an effect entirely different from that of ordinary speech; spec. to do this in a skilled manner, as the result of training and practice.to sing dumb, to sing small: see dumb adj. 3c, and small adv.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (intransitive)]
singc825
chantc1405
carpc1425
relesch1513
deliver1530
record1590
strain1602
cherubim1748
vocalize1782
nightingalize1799
sing-song1828
outsing1877
c825 Vesp. Ps. cxxxvii. 5 Alle cyningas..singen in songum dryhtnes.
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. i He..ongan wepan & þus singend cwæð.
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xi. 17 We sungun iuh & ne plægdege.
971 Blickl. Hom. 149 Hwæt is..þis folc þe her þus hlude singeþ?
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 2349 Ech mon..songe al day bi þe stret ase vor is onour.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 34 Ðu giue me seli timinge..Queðerso hic rede or singe!
c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. Wace (Rolls) 15085 To þe cite þey come singand.
1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. xi. 190 Þus bed þe do-bet,..Sike with þe sory, singe with þe glade.
c1400 Pilgr. Sowle (1483) iv. xx. 65 I songe to rathe, for I sange by the morowe And now at eue I wepe.
c1420 Chron. Vilod. 3073 Angels, þat weron bothe bryȝt & shene,..song lowde with myelde steuene.
1517 R. Torkington Oldest Diarie Englysshe Trav. (1884) 63 On of the Jewys began to syng, and than all the women daunsed.
1614 J. Davies in W. Browne Shepheards Pipe sig. G4 Enaunter they..songen lowdly for so deere desart.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 553 The harmony (What could it less when Spirits immortal sing?) Suspended Hell. View more context for this quotation
1753 T. Gray Long Story in Six Poems 18 They flirt, they sing, they laugh, they tattle.
1772 W. Jones Poems 33 No shepherd sung beneath the rosy bowers.
1803–5 W. Wordsworth Solitary Reaper 27 I saw her singing at her work.
1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin I. xvi. 267 I've been up in Tom's room, hearing him sing.
1884 F. M. Crawford Rom. Singer (ed. 2) I. 10 He never sang except in Church.
b. Const. to (†by, in) an instrument of music.
ΚΠ
c825 Vesp. Psalter lxx. 22 Ic singu ðe in citran.
c1000 Ags. Ps. (1835) lxx. 20 And [ic] þe on sealm-fatum, singe be hearpan.
1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) 1 Chron. xvi. 5 Asaph forsothe schuld syngyn in cymbalis.
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Canere ad tibiam, to singe to the shalme.
1609 W. Shakespeare Pericles xv. 26 When too'th Lute She sung . View more context for this quotation
a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1645 (1955) II. 473 Who had a daughter..that played, and sung to 9 severall Instruments.
1789 A. Young Jrnl. 5 July in Trav. France (1792) i. 132 Mademoiselle Le Blanc singing to her systrum.
c. figurative. To cry out with pain; to make a noise, to boast, about something. to sing different (cf. 10a).
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > pain > be painful [verb (intransitive)] > express pain
grinOE
quetchc1225
singc1386
quinch1511
complain1600
flincha1677
the world > action or operation > behaviour > behave, conduct, or bear oneself [verb (intransitive)] > change one's behaviour
to sing another song or a different tune1390
vary1481
to change (turn, alter) one's copy1523
to turn down a leaf1633
tack1637
to sing different1897
snap out of it1918
the mind > emotion > pride > boasting or boastfulness > utter boastfully [verb (transitive)] > boast of
roosec1175
avauntc1315
beyelpc1330
boastc1380
blazona1533
brag1588
ruff1602
crack1653
vapour1654
value1670
vauntc1696
gasconade1714
voust1794
to write home about1868
sing1897
c1386 G. Chaucer Friar's Tale 13 But certes, lechours dide he grettest wo; They sholde singen, if that they were hent.
1897 Westm. Gaz. 22 Dec. 4/1 Matters are looking up. Still there is nothing much to sing about on our part even now.
1897 E. Phillpotts Lying Prophets i. ix If you comed to be a bride, you'd sing different.
d. to sing for one's supper (also †dinner): for lack of money. Usually figurative, to provide entertainment or a service in return for a benefit received (often, a meal).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > non-possession > not have or lack [verb (intransitive)] > sing for one's supper
to sing for one's supper (also dinner)c1744
c1744 Little Tommy Tucker in Tommy Thumb's Pretty Little Song Bk. 10 Little Tom Tucker Sings for his Supper What shall he Eat White bread and Butter.
1803 J. Kenney Raising Wind i. i. 4 As you sometimes sing for your dinner, now you may whistle for your breakfast.
1949 N. Mitford Love in Cold Climate i. iii. 30 [At] the various house parties..I had been to..I knew that I was expected..to sing for my supper by being, if possible, amusing.
1972 T. P. McMahon Issue of Bishop's Blood (1973) ix. 134 Thanks for the dinner... Is it too bad a pun to say I'm ready to sing for it?
e. to sing along: to sing in accompaniment to a song or piece of music. Also const. with the performer. Cf. sing-along n. and adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (intransitive)] > sing along with
to sing along1959
1959 Time 17 Aug. 60/3 Whether anyone actually sings along with the sing-along albums probably does not bother..Miller.
1973 Observer 29 Apr. (Colour Suppl.) 41/3 They all stand on the tables and sing along and stamp their feet.
1977 R. L. Duncan Temple Dogs (1978) i. ii. 46 He was singing along with the piano player, his voice shrill.
2. figurative.1887 Illustr. London News Summer No. 2/1 His gait and carriage Sang..of ploughed fields.
a. To tell of (†by) in song or in verse.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > narration > narrate, relate, or tell [verb (transitive)]
singc900
reckonOE
readOE
tellOE
showc1175
betellc1275
i-tellec1275
rehearsec1300
record1340
accounta1387
to chase forthc1386
retretec1400
reporta1402
count?a1425
recite1448
touch?a1450
repeat1451
deliverc1454
explikec1454
renderc1460
recount1477
to show forth1498
relate1530
to set forth1530
rechec1540
reaccount1561
recitate1568
history1600
recant1603
to run througha1616
enarrate1750
narrate1754
the mind > language > speech > speech-making > recitation > recite [verb (intransitive)] > a romance, verses, etc.
singc900
gestc1386
jestc1386
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (transitive)] > celebrate in song
singc900
record?a1534
chant1557
warble1605
carol1637
paean1820
besing1828
minstrel1873
c900 tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. iv. xxiv. 346 Song he ærest be middangeardes gesceape & bi fruman moncynnes.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 12082 Sone heo gunnen singe of Arðure þan kinge.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 290 Ha, who herde evere singe or rede Of such a thing as that was do?
a1400 K. Alis. (Laud) 7613 Þe lefdy wandreþ in a plas, And syngeþ of Dido & Eneas.
?c1562 Maner of World 169 Somtime we song of myrth & play.
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Cantatus, songe of: praysed.
1605 W. Camden Remaines i. 6 Most truely our Lucan singeth of this our countrey.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 147 Thus have I sung of Fields, and Flocks, and Trees, And of the waxen Work of lab'ring Bees. View more context for this quotation
1788 W. Cowper Gratitude 56 The poets will swear that I dream, When I sing of the splendour of mine.
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth III. xii. 238 Marshalled by two Minstrels, who sung of war and ladies' love.
1864 G. W. Dasent Jest & Earnest (1873) II. 233 So he began his song, and first he sung of the Orkney Earls across the western main.
b. To compose in verse; to make poetry.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > poetry > compose poetry [verb (intransitive)]
versec1000
rhymec1300
versify1377
makea1387
metrea1415
poetizea1586
compose1602
poetrize1602
sing1638
rhythm1655
poeticize1817
poesy1820
rune1832
1638 J. Milton Lycidas in Obsequies 20 in Justa Edouardo King Who would not sing for Lycidas? he knew Himself to sing, and build the lofty rhyme.
1711 A. Pope Ess. Crit. 38 He..judg'd with Coolness tho' he sung with Fire.
1785 W. Cowper Task ii. 312 Studious of song, And yet ambitious not to sing in vain.
1827 R. Pollok Course of Time II. x. 258 Thus have I sung beyond thy first request.
1871 S. Smiles Character x. 267 Horace, Virgil, and Dante still sing as when they lived.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > church music > [verb (intransitive)] > sing or chant
sing1297
chant1570
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (intransitive)] > chant
sing1297
chant1570
rechant1600
intone1849
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (transitive)] > chant
sing1297
entunec1374
entonec1485
intonec1485
chant1526
rechant1600
cant1652
tone1674
intonate1795
monotone1864
incant1959
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 3932 Clerkes songe as riȝt was, þat ioye it was to hure.
1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. Prol. 83 Persones and parisch prestes..askeþ leue and lycence at londun to dwelle, To singe þer for Simonye.
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) iii. 19 Thei suffre not the Latynes to syngen at here Awteres.
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1874) V. 9 [The pope] ordeynede that brede ordeynede to synge with scholde be pure brede and clene.
1538 in T. Wright Three Chapters Lett. Suppression Monasteries (1843) 222 He songe in thys chapell, and hadde the offeringes for hys lyving.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iv. i. 299 I haue built two Chauntries, Where the sad and solemne Priests sing still For Richards Soule. View more context for this quotation
4. 1929 G. L. Hostetter & T. Q. Beesley It's a Racket! 238 Sing, to confess.1937 [implied in: Sat. Evening Post 18 Dec. 85/1 One actually preferred a three-year penitentiary term to singing. (at singing n. 1c)].1946 Sun (Baltimore) 10 Dec. 1/3 A former army colonel ‘sang’ about the operation of military government there.1950 R. Himmel I'll find You (1958) xvii. 117 She's singing like a canary. She turned up at headquarters..and said she had some information on a killing.1964 L. Nkosi Rhythm of Violence 65 Who knows, maybe he's even goin' to sing to the police!1981 P. Niesewand Word of Gentleman xix. 126 You don't think they'd sing like canaries?.. They'll sing, Claud... If they thought it would help them, they'd tell on their mothers.2001 E. Colfer Artemis Fowl v. 121 That's where we administered the sodium pentathol. Commonly known as truth serum. You sang like a bird.
a. Of birds: To produce tuneful or musical sounds; to warble.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > sound or bird defined by > [verb (intransitive)] > sing
singOE
chant?a1500
record1590
firdon16..
warble1606
jerk1768
tootle1820
roll1886
OE Phoenix 124 Se haswa fugel beorht of þæs bearwes beame gewiteð, fareð feþrum snell flyhte on lyfte, swinsað ond singeð swegle togeanes.
c1250 Owl & Night. 1663 Foweles boþe grete & smale..sungen al so uale wise.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 53 He herde among the leves singe The Throstel with the nyhtingale.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 1031 Soun of foulis þat þar singes.
c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 149 Þei fare as þe cuccuke, þat syngyth but of him-self.
1594 W. Shakespeare Titus Andronicus iii. i. 158 Did euer Rauen sing so like a Larke. View more context for this quotation
?c1600 (c1515) Sc. Field (Lyme) l. 314 in I. F. Baird Poems Stanley Family (D.Phil. thesis, Univ. of Birm.) (1990) 243 Brides brayden to the bowes and boldly the songen.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) ii. iii. 19 Hearke, hearke, the Larke at Heauens gate sings . View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 198 Ye Birds, That singing up to Heaven Gate ascend. View more context for this quotation
1769 T. Gray Inscript. Villa in New Foundling Hosp. for Wit: Pt. 3rd 34 No tree is heard to whisper, bird to sing.
1774 G. White Let. 2 Sept. in Nat. Hist. Selborne (1789) 102 Wrens sing all the winter through, frost excepted.
1822 S. T. Coleridge Lett., Conversat., & Recoll. II. 116 Like a gleam of sunshine..setting all the birds a-singing.
1908 Betw. Trent & Ancholme 27 The birds singing in the old apple-trees.
b. Of cocks: To crow. Also with out.In early use after Latin cantare in the Vulgate.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Galliformes (fowls) > family Phasianidae (pheasants, etc.) > hen or cock > [verb (intransitive)] > crow (of cock)
gredec897
singc950
crowc1000
cock-a-doodle-doo1596
crowd1753
chanticleer1810
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxvi. 34 On ðisser næht ær ðon hona singe vel crawe.
c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 248 Se hana sona hlud-swege sang.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Mark xiv. 72 Bifore the cok synge twyes, thries thou schalt denye me.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Reeve's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 313 This ioly lyf han thise two clerkes lad Til þt the thridde cok bigan to synge.
1603 W. Shakespeare Hamlet i. i. 141 The bird of dawning singeth all night long.
1830 Ld. Tennyson Mariana iii, in Poems 15 The cock sung out an hour ere light.
c. Said of the raven, sea-mew, toad, etc., and (in later use) of the cricket.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by noises > voice or sound made by animal > make sound [verb (intransitive)]
singOE
cry1398
clamourc1400
call1486
baya1525
jabberc1817
jabble1830
OE Seafarer 22 Hwilum ylfete song dyde ic me to gomene, ganetes hleoþor ond huilpan sweg fore hleahtor wera, mæw singende fore medodrince.
OE Genesis 1983 Sang se wanna fugel under deoreðsceaftum.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 156 Þe asse..beginþ to lheape and yernþ to-yens him..and beginþ zinge grat-liche.
1555 R. Eden tr. G. F. de Oviedo y Valdés Summarie Gen. Hist. W. Indies in tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde f. 187 These toades synge after three or foure sortes.
1609 W. Shakespeare Pericles x. 7 And Cricket sing at the Ouens mouth. View more context for this quotation
a1668 W. Davenant Man's the Master (1669) iii. ii When crickets sing, why should not we?
1789 G. White Let. in Nat. Hist. Selborne 253 The new inhabitants [i.e. crickets] stayed some time, and fed and sung.
1845 C. Dickens Cricket on Hearth iii. 174 A Cricket sings upon the Hearth.
d. Criminals' slang (now chiefly U.S.). = sing out (sense 5c). Also to sing like a bird, to sing like a canary. Originally in proverbial phrase †he that sings once, weeps all his life after and variants.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > information > informing on or against > inform on or against [verb (intransitive)]
inform1588
peach1598
whistle1599
sing1612
whiddlec1661
squeak1690
wheedle1710
whittle1735
to blow the gab1785
snitch1801
rat1810
nose1811
sing1816
gnarl1819
split1819
stag1839
clype1843
squeal1846
blow1848
to round on1857
nark1859
pimp1865
squawk1872
ruck1884
to come or turn copper1891
copper1897
sneak1897
cough1901
stool1911
tattle-tale1918
snout1923
talk1924
fink1925
scream1925
sarbut1928
grass1929
to turn over1967
dime1970
society > communication > information > informing on or against > inform on or against [phrase]
he that sings once, weeps all his life after1612
1612 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don-Quixote: Pt. 1 i. iii. viii. 193 Here it is quite contrary, quoth the slave, for He that sings once, weepes all his life after.
1710 S. Palmer Moral Ess. Prov. lxxii. 197 He that Sings in Disaster, shall Weep all his Life-time After. 'Tis generally suppos'd, that this Proverb was born in a Jail. Sing..is, when one of the Gang Tattles, Confesses, and Accuses the Rest.
5. † c. Cant. To peach, turn informer. Obsolete.
a. With out. Also spec. in nautical use.
ΚΠ
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 718/1 I synge out, or I synge a loude, je chante a playne voix.
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast ii. 11 The wind was whistling.., and the sailors ‘singing out’ at the ropes in their hoarse and peculiar strains.
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xvii. 154 Sailors, when heaving at a windlass.., always have one to sing out.
b. To call or cry out.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or exclamation > cry or exclaim [verb (intransitive)]
remeeOE
ropeOE
gredec1000
epec1175
yeiec1175
ascry1352
to cry out1382
to lift (up) a cry, one's voice1382
cryc1384
outcryc1390
yawlc1400
openc1425
bursta1450
yelp?c1450
escry1483
assurd1523
to break forth1526
gaure1530
to call out?1532
exclaim1570
reclaim1611
voice1627
blathe1640
to set up one's pipes1671
bawze1677
sing1813
Great-Scott1902
yip1907
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > cry or shout [verb (transitive)] > call
ascrya1375
cryc1420
hail1563
to call out1565
oncrya1600
sing1813
evocate1834
shout1914
yoohoo1948
loud-hail1964
1813 Sporting Mag. 41 43 Sing out, and we shall come.
1850 H. T. Cheever Whale & his Captors iii. 52 Sing out when we head right!
1889 J. K. Jerome Three Men in Boat 93 They all got crazy at last, and sang out for the keeper.
1901 S. L. Bagot Links with Past 44 A marine made it a point of honour to take a flogging in silence—a sailor thought it no disgrace to ‘sing out’.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > information > informing on or against > inform on or against [verb (intransitive)]
inform1588
peach1598
whistle1599
sing1612
whiddlec1661
squeak1690
wheedle1710
whittle1735
to blow the gab1785
snitch1801
rat1810
nose1811
sing1816
gnarl1819
split1819
stag1839
clype1843
squeal1846
blow1848
to round on1857
nark1859
pimp1865
squawk1872
ruck1884
to come or turn copper1891
copper1897
sneak1897
cough1901
stool1911
tattle-tale1918
snout1923
talk1924
fink1925
scream1925
sarbut1928
grass1929
to turn over1967
dime1970
1816 W. Scott Old Mortality xiv, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. IV. 316 The thing will never keep two days longer, and the first that sings out will get the reward.
1829 W. Scott Guy Mannering (new ed.) I. xxviii. 288 (note) To sing out or whistle in the cage, is when a rogue, being apprehended, peaches against his comrades.
6.
a. Of things: To give out a ringing, murmuring, or other sound having the quality of a musical note.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > resonance or sonority > resound [verb (intransitive)]
singc897
shillc1000
warblea1400
resoundc1425
dun1440
reird1508
rolla1522
rerea1525
peal1593
diapason1608
choir1838
alarm1839
to raise (also lift) the roof1845
whang1854
c897 K. Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care xxiii. 174 Se hearpere..gedeð ðæt hie [the strings] noht ungelice ðæm sone ne singað þe he wilnað.
OE Beowulf 323 Hringiren scir song in searwum.
a1023 Wulfstan Homilies xl. 183 In þæm dæge singað þa byman.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. viv Go vpon the lande that is plowed & if it singe, or cry, or make any noyse vndre thy fete than it is to weyt to sowe.
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iv. i. 48 When the bagpipe sings ith nose. View more context for this quotation
1642 T. Fuller Holy State i. viii. 20 One said, He loved to heare his carter though not his cart to sing.
1797 Encycl. Brit. XVIII. 872/2 When the liquor in the barrel has done singing, stop the vessel close.
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 1271 They hear these stoppings begin to sing or call, as they say, whenever an interruption takes place in any point.
1850 ‘S. Yendys’ Roman vi. 76 I do forget..that the music of her shores is singing Still in your ears.
1887 W. Besant World went very well Then I. i. 3 On the other hob stood a kettle, singing comfortably.
b. Of missiles, etc.: To sound in this way by reason of rapid motion through the air; to move with a singing sound.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > resonance or sonority > ringing sound > ring [verb (intransitive)] > ping
sing1565
ping1855
pinge1888
zing1899
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Introd. 2 An arrowe that singeth as hee goeth.
1633 Bp. J. Hall Plaine Explic. Hard Texts i. 213 The plagues of God shall be sent, as so many arrowes, singing into thy bosom.
1676 T. Hobbes tr. Homer Iliads (1677) 235 So many spears went singing by his head.
1725 W. Broome in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey II. viii. 138 The Discus flies, And sings with unmatch'd force along the skies.
1768 T. Gray Fatal Sisters in Poems 81 Pikes must shiver, javelins sing.
1813 Ld. Byron Bride Abydos ii. xxv. 566 Whose bullet through the night-air sang?
1883 R. L. Stevenson Treasure Island iv. xviii. 142 It did all our hearts good to see him..make the blade sing through the air.
7. Of the ears: To ring, tingle, be filled with a humming sound.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > sounds heard in body > [verb (intransitive)] > ringing, etc., in ears
ringa1425
sing1621
whizz1797
1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy i. iii. ii. ii. 257 Their eares sing now and then.
1819 W. Scott Ivanhoe III. x. 264 I had forgotten the buffet, though mine ear sung after it for a whole day.
1849 E. B. Eastwick Dry Leaves 112 The eye grows dizzy, and the ear sings with heat.
8. To admit of being sung; to be usually sung.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > vocal music > admit of being sung [verb (intransitive)]
sing1728
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Melody Yet so far as the Bass may be made airy, and to sing well, it may be also properly said to be Melodious.
1821 F. D. Hemans Lett. in H. F. Chorley Mem. Mrs. Hemans (1837) I. 83 I am anxious that the words should both sing well and read well.
1873 E. O'Curry Lect. Anc. Irish III. 391 Those verses..which sing to the air of Ar Eire, etc.
II. transitive.
9.
a. To utter (songs, etc.) with musical modulations of the voice; also (quot. 1553), to articulate (words) in a singing tone.Said of birds, etc., as well as of persons. Sometimes used figuratively (cf. sense 2) to denote the composition of verse.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (transitive)]
singc825
leadOE
galea1000
record1483
chant1566
modulate?1567
carol?1578
strain1589
relish1592
lyrica1704
vocalize1782
lip1789
flute1842
c825 Vesp. Psalter cxxxvi. 4 Hu singað we song dryhtnes in eorðan fremðre?
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. ii Ða lioð þe ic wrecca geo lustbærlice song, ic sceal nu heofiende singan.
c1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 352 Þas galdor mon mæg singan on wunde.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 7 Ebreisce folc sungen heore leof song ure helende to wurðinge.
a1250 Prov. of Alfred 355 Ne ilef þu neuer..alle þe þinge þat þu iherest singe.
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 3940 So murye & so gret was þat song þat me song þerinne wyde.
1340 Ayenb. 268 Hy zonge þane zang þet non oþer ne may zynge.
a1400 K. Alis. (Laud) 5195 Mery tyme it is in maij, Þe foules syngeþ her lay.
a1400–50 Alexander 3698 Þai made as mery melody & musik þai sanng As in þe moneth of Mai.
1470–85 T. Malory Morte d'Arthur x. xxxi. 464 The harper had songe his songe to the ende.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 718/1 I synge him..a balade.
1553 T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique 117 b Some sighes out their woordes. Some synges their sentences.
1601 Bp. W. Barlow Serm. Paules Crosse Martij 1600 Pref. 14 How the late Earle..song eyther the 54. or the 94. Psalme.
1660 N. Ingelo Bentivolio & Urania iv. 245 If they have not the words which are sung by heart, they have Copies of them given to them.
1713 A. Pope Windsor-Forest 18 To the listning Swains First in these Fields I sung the Sylvan Strains.
1798 S. T. Coleridge Fears in Solitude 2 The singing lark (that sings unseen The minstrelsy that solitude loves best).
1827 D. Johnson Sketches Indian Field Sports (ed. 2) 202 A hundred dancing-girls sung their sprightly airs.
1845 C. Dickens Cricket on Hearth i. 7 It's a dark night, sang the Kettle.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair lxi. 549 Suppose, on the other hand, your swan sings quite a different sort of dirge.
b. With object denoting the key, voice, note, etc. Also figurative (quot. 1600).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > cry of emotion or pain > [verb (intransitive)]
remeeOE
braya1300
singc1405
blarec1440
blorec1440
rame?a1450
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Miller's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 146 Ther to he soong som tyme a loud quynyble.
1423 Kingis Quair liv Quhare are thy notis smale, That thou of loue has song this morowe-tyde?
?a1450 Songs & Carols (Wright) 67 Whan..bulles of the see syng a good bace.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 225 The pyat..Feynȝeis to sing the nychtingale note.
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Tenor, or he that singeth a tenor, succentor.
1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xlv. xxxi. 1222 The third [statesman] betweene, sung a meane, and was crosse to the one and the other.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Chanter Who doth sing so merrie a note as he that cannot change a groat?
1684 J. Evelyn Diary (1955) IV. 385 A Frenchman who sung an admirable base.
a1791 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) VIII. 319 They must sing only the tenor.
1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIV. 275/1 So that an adult male can still sing the soprano parts.
c. With adverbs, as forth, out, over.
ΚΠ
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 134 Thus I sang hem forth fulofte In halle.
a1400 Minor Poems from Vernon MS xxix. ii. 42 Þe child..neuer-þe-latere song forþ his song.
1611 Bible (King James) Wisd. xviii. 9 The fathers now singing out the songs of praise. View more context for this quotation
1675 T. Brooks Paradice Opened 26 How can he sing out the high praises of God?
1813 W. Scott Rokeby ii. 78 While linnet, lark, and blackbird gay, Sing forth her nuptial roundelay.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xxvi. 229 She sate down at the piano.., and sang over all her father's favourite old songs.
10. In phrases:
a. to sing another song or a different tune, to speak or act in a very different manner.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > behave, conduct, or bear oneself [verb (intransitive)] > change one's behaviour
to sing another song or a different tune1390
vary1481
to change (turn, alter) one's copy1523
to turn down a leaf1633
tack1637
to sing different1897
snap out of it1918
the mind > mental capacity > belief > expressed belief, opinion > change of opinion > change one's mind [phrase]
to pick (also peck) mooda1225
to turn, wend the luff?c1225
to sing another song or a different tune1390
to waive (one's) wit1390
to change one's minda1500
to change (turn, alter) one's copy1523
to turn (one's) tippet1546
to change one's note1560
to shift hands1611
to face about1645
to change (swap) horses in midstream (while crossing a stream)1864
to sing another tune1890
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 260 O thou, which hast desesed The Court of France be thi wrong, Now schalt thou singe an other song.
1588 J. Udall State Church of Eng. sig. Ev If they had euen my experience, they would sing another song.
1600 T. Heywood If you know not Me in Wks. (1874) I. 207 The Queene must heare you sing another song Before you part with vs.
1711 W. King tr. G. Naudé Polit. Considerations Refin'd Politicks iii. 91 The Jesuits begin to play their part, and sing another song.
1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth x, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. III. 263 If it was not within two days of Palm Sunday, herself would make you sing another song.
1890 G. A. Henty With Lee in Virginia 124 I imagine he would sing a different tune if the blue coats ever get to Richmond.
b. to sing the same (or one) song, to tell the same tale, to harp on the same strain.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > duration > have duration [verb (intransitive)] > endure, remain, persist, or continue > in the same attitude, statement, etc.
to sing the same (or one) song1551
the mind > language > speech > repetition > repeat [verb (intransitive)] > dwell on something
to harp upon, on (of), a, one, the same (etc.) string?1531
to sing the same (or one) song1551
chant1572
ding1582
to go on1863
to keep on1907
riff1952
1551 J. Bale Actes Eng. Votaryes: 2nd Pt. f. lxxxi In all their counsels they songe styll one song.
1583 P. Stubbes Second Pt. Anat. Abuses sig. F5v I haue hard prisoners (and not any almost but they sing the same song)..crie out against brookers.
1646 J. Maxwell Burden of Issachar 14 This is so much obeyed, that the Ministers of the Kings Family, or Parish, must sing the same song.
1863 G. Ruffini Vincenzo II. xi. 183 After you have been here twelve months..you will sing the same song as I do now.
1898 E. W. Hamilton Mawkin of Flow viii He was singing the same song himself just, no later than yestreen.
c. to sing sol-fa, sorrow, woe, to lament.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > lament or express grief [verb (intransitive)]
sorroweOE
meaneOE
careOE
mournOE
ofthink?c1225
to make sorrow?c1250
to make languorc1300
bemoanc1305
plainc1325
moanc1330
wailc1330
waymentc1350
complainc1374
to make syte?a1400
sweam14..
lamentc1515
bemournc1540
regratec1550
to sing sol-fa, sorrow, woe1573
condole1598
passion1598
deplore1632
ochone1829
rune1832
1573 G. Gascoigne tr. Ariosto Supposes iv. ii, in Hundreth Sundrie Flowres 35 If I come neere you hempstring, I will teache you [printed nowe] to sing sol fa.
a1739 C. Jarvis tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote (1742) I. iii. iv. 87 It would be of service and use only to those who are dubbed knights..: as for the poor squires, they may sing sorrow.
1817 W. Scott Rob Roy III. v. 139 I will take such ample vengeance—that the very stones of their glens shall sing woe for it this hundred years to come!
d. to hear a bird sing, etc., denoting the receipt of private information. (Cf. bird n. 15.)
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > information > action of informing > give information [verb (intransitive)] > be informed > privately
to hear a bird sing1600
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 v. v. 105 I heard a bird so sing, Whose musique, to my thinking, pleasde the King. View more context for this quotation
a1625 J. Fletcher Loyal Subj. iv. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Fff/2 I heard a Bird sing, they mean him no good office.
1672 Duke of Buckingham Rehearsal ii 14 I..heard besides a grave Bird sing That they intend, sweet-heart, to play us pranks.
1845 B. Disraeli Sybil III. vi. iii. 174 I have had a bird too singing something in my ear these two days past.
11. figurative.1827 R. Pollok Course of Time II. vii. 77 Whom fierce winter seized,..And sung the requiem of his shivering ghost.† b. With out: To exhaust the value of (a sum of money) in the celebration of masses. Obsolete.
a. To chant or intone (a lesson, mass, etc.).Sometimes used in much the same sense as say v.1 7.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > church music > [verb (transitive)] > sing or chant
singa850
chant1526
cantillate1864
a850 Lorica Prayer 9 in Old Eng. Texts 174 Sing ðonne pater noster.
c960 Rule St. Benet (Schröer) xi. 35 Singe man ærest sex sealmas & þonne on ende fers.
c1030 Rule St. Benet (Logeman) 39 Si an [ræding] of ðære ealdan gecyðnysse..geræd oððe sungen.
c1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1122 Þa hwile þe þa munecas sungen þære messe.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 51 Þe halie ureisuns þe me singeð in halie chirche.
c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 218 Bi þe wei as ha geað ga singinde hire beoden.
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 9348 Þe bissop of lincolne is masse song þo.
1310 St. Brendan (Bälz) 315 Þe wile we singeþ evesong, hi scholleþ sitte and ete.
1338 R. Mannyng Chron. (1810) 172 Better him wer..messe [to have] songen, & serued God alle myght.
1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Rolls) VII. 467 Þe same day after þat he hadde i-songen [MS. β ysonge] masse.
1431 in H. Littlehales Medieval Rec. London City Church (1905) 14 An honest Preest sufficiantly lerned in dyvynete to syng & sey dyuyne seruice.
1483 in J. Gairdner Lett. Reigns of Richard III & Henry VII (1861) I. 9 The masse of requiem..was songon by the archbishop of Yorke.
1503 in Lett. Richard III & Henry VII (1861) I. 201 The Pater Noster was songen.
1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares f. 84 Because we may not build Monasteries, or haue Masses, Dirges, or Trentals sung for our soules, [etc.].
1699 J. Jackson Let. 25 Dec. in S. Pepys Lett. & 2nd Diary (1932) 292 The Cardinals, &c., entring afterwards to sing vespers.
1702 T. Brown Amusem. Serious & Comical (ed. 2) iii. 33 Those Ladies that look thro' their Fingers while the Service is Singing.
1737 R. Challoner Catholick Christian Instructed vii. 93 In the high or solemn Mass the Gospel is sung by the Deacon.
1808 W. Scott Marmion vi. Introd. 300 On Christmas eve the mass was sung.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > benefice > other financial matters > [verb (transitive)] > exhaust value of a sum in celebration of masses
singc1530
society > faith > worship > sacrament > communion > mass > celebrate mass [verb (transitive)] > exhaust value of (sum of money) in celebration
singc1530
c1530 in T. Stapleton Plumpton Corr. (1839) 228 When your prest at Boynton had song out all your ten pound, he kepes him still at his cost.
12. in extended use.1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones IV. xii. xii. 291 Jones afterwards proceeded very gravely to sing forth the Happiness of those Subjects who lived under such a Magistrate. View more context for this quotation
a. To declare, relate, recount, or celebrate, in song or verse.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > poetry > compose (poetry) [verb (transitive)] > recount or celebrate in poetry
singc825
versifyc1386
verse1446
berime?1589
poetize?1594
warble1605
beverse1763
c825 Vesp. Psalter xx. 14 Hefe up, dryhten, in megne ðinum; we singað..megen ðin.
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. vii. §3 Hwæt singað þa leoðwyrhtan oðres be ðisse woruld buton mislica hwearfunga?
971 Blickl. Hom. 231 He þa..wæs Drihtnes lof singende on þæm carcerne.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 11465 Ne [is] al soh ne al les þat leod-scopes singeð.
a1325 Prose Psalter xx. 13 We shul syngen & psalmen þy vertuz.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 203 Thurgh tresoun of hire false tunge, Which thurgh the lond was after sunge.
c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn l. 786 Philippus Augustinus, as songen is in layis,..Was Emperour I-chose.
1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. vii. sig. Cvi After..he..had songen the gestis and actis martial of the auncient princis of Grece.
1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes sig. S.iiiiv I haue not songen, how This mischiefe came: but I intend With wofull voice to sing it now.
1636 T. Heywood Challenge for Beautie ii. sig. C4 I shall be Ballated, Sung up and downe by Minstrills?
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 122 Mæcenas, read this other part, that sings Embattel'd Squadrons and advent'rous Kings.
a1771 T. Gray Imit. Propertius in Wks. (1884) I. 154 Sing with what a careless Grace she flings Her artful hand.
1772 W. Jones Poems 145 He sung the tender woes of artless swains.
1821 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto III lxxix. 42 He sung the Sultan and the Pacha.
1850 A. Jameson Legends Monastic Orders 67 He sang the creation of the world, and the origin of man.
b. to sing one's praises, to be loud in laudation of (a person, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > commend or praise [verb (intransitive)] > loudly
to sing one's praises1565
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Cantus To synge ones greate prayse.
1612 B. Jonson Alchemist ii. i. sig. Dv I'll Be bound, the Players shall sing your praises, then, Without their Poets. View more context for this quotation
1778 F. Burney Let. 27 Aug. in Early Jrnls. & Lett. (1994) III. 114 Dr. Johnson..was so caught by it..that he has sung its praises ever since.
1858 W. M. Thackeray Virginians xxxi May we modest Œnophilists not sing the praises of our favourite plant?
c. To proclaim in a musical or resonant manner; to announce clearly or distinctly. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > manner of speaking > say in a particular manner [verb (transitive)] > say pleasingly or distinctly
sing1605
troll1631
soothe1934
1605 1st Pt. Jeronimo sig. Aii My knee sings thanks vnto your highnes bountie.
1621 J. Fletcher et al. Trag. of Thierry & Theodoret i. ii. sig. CIv I 'eare a tempest comming, That sings mine and my kingdomes ruine.
a1668 W. Davenant Man's the Master (1669) iii. ii They sung us thanks ere we made them a fire.
1837 A. Tennent Vis. Glencoe 5 Hark how the pibroch shrilly sings The deeds of other years.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xviii. 151 Before whose door the watchman sang the hours when she was asleep.
1897 Pall Mall Mag. Nov. 356 Put my eyes out, and I'll sing you the soundings foot by foot.
d. To call out. Also transferred.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or exclamation > cry or exclaim [verb (transitive)]
to bolk out1382
cryc1384
belchc1500
out-braya1561
to cry out1597
belvea1794
re-ejaculate1826
sing1833
ejaculate1853
explete1902
Great-Scott1902
yip1927
1833 M. Scott Tom Cringle's Log I. i. 12 ‘Port your helm,’ sung out the boatswain.
1837 B. Disraeli Venetia I. 182 Suddenly a scout sang out that a party was in sight.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair lvii. 518 Moon and stars shining over-head, and the bell singing out the watch.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Pendennis (1850) I. iv. 38 Clavering clock sang out one.
1901 Daily Express 28 Feb. 6/5 As the baskets go down they sing out the number where the money is to be placed.
13.
a. To bring into a certain state, or to a certain place, by or with singing. Const. with prepositions and adverbs. Also, †to lull by singing.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > calmness > compose or make calm [verb (transitive)] > by singing
singa1500
lullaby1593
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [verb (transitive)] > put to or cause to sleep > induce or lull to sleep > by singing
byss1440
singa1500
lullaby1593
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (transitive)] > sing into some state
singa1500
besing1566
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (transitive)] > lull by singing
singa1500
lullaby1593
a1500–34 Coventry Corpus Christi Plays (1902) 29 Here the wemen cum in wythe there chyldur, syngyng them.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 718/1 I have songe thy brother aslepe.
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) v. vii. 23 This pale faint Swan, Who..sings His soule and body to their lasting rest. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) iv. ii. 12 Then sing him home, the rest shall beare this burthen.
1730 J. Thomson Autumn in Seasons 135 Like the gay birds that sung them to repose.
1778 F. Burney Evelina I. xxi. 160 If ever they do again, I'll give 'em leave to sing me to Bedlam for my pains.
1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel II. 3 The blackbird sang the sun to bed.
1868 W. Morris Earthly Paradise i. 306 The garden birds sang down the setting sun.
1877 M. Oliphant Makers of Florence (ed. 2) i. 21 All Florence danced and sung the sweet May in.
b. To take, drive, force, etc., by or with singing. Const. away, forth, off, out of, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (transitive)] > force or drive by singing
singa1616
sing-song1726
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) iv. i. 185 O shee will sing the sauagenesse out of a Beare. View more context for this quotation
1650 A. B. Mutatus Polemo 15 To be chirpingly drunk, and sing away sorrow.
1788 W. Cowper On Mischievous Bull 23 The angry Muse thus sings thee forth, And claps the gate behind thee.
1810 G. Crabbe Borough xxiii. 320 I put on the Man, Sing off my Sighs and trifle as I can.
1830 W. M. Praed Palinodia vii When Laura sings young hearts away.
1875 A. Maclaren Serm. 2nd Ser. vi. 102 A truth which syren voices are constantly trying to sing us out of believing.
c. To spend or pass away (life) in singing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > spending time > spend time or allow time to pass [verb (transitive)] > in some activity > in other specific activities
sigh1600
talk1676
pace1700
wrangle1794
singa1822
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (transitive)] > spend in singing
singa1822
a1822 P. B. Shelley Dæmon of World ii, in Poet. Wks. (1877) III. 373 The wingèd habitants, That in the woods their sweet lives sing away.
d. To make (one's way) with singing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > forward movement > move forward or advance [verb (intransitive)] > effect forward movement in specific way > in other specific ways
smell1608
to bore one's waya1705
slice1872
sing1890
nose1894
to bullock one's way1909
muscle1934
to winkle one's way1979
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (transitive)] > make one's way by singing
sing1890
1890 H. Caine Bondman ii. iii There is a full stream that tumbles into the sea..after singing its way down from the heights of Barrule.
e. Of the Aboriginal inhabitants of Australia: to endow (an object) with magical properties by singing; to bring a magical influence to bear on (a person or thing) by singing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > enchantment or casting spells > [verb (transitive)] > with incantation
sing1899
1899 W. B. Spencer & F. J. Gillen Native Tribes Central Austral. xvi. 537 The wound was not serious..but he persisted in saying that the spear had been sung, and that..he was going to die, which accordingly he did.
1914 B. Spencer Native Tribes N. Territory iii. 140 As soon as the ground was cleared..all the men retired to one side and, to the accompaniment of trumpets..and clapping of hands, it was ‘sung’. This ‘singing’ was supposed to make the ground..in good order so that the performers could dance well.
1959 A. Upfield Bony & Black Virgin xvii. 158 The aborigines..dug up their rainstones and rubbed them with their magic stones, and ‘sang’ them in a secret camp. And then it rained.
1975 Times 8 Nov. 5/1 The Premier of Queensland was put under a death spell by Aborigines last night... An Aboriginal..said ‘These people have sung him and he should start dying from now on.’
Compounds
In combinations, as† sing-alone n. Obsolete a solo singer.Apparently an isolated use.† sing-man n. Obsolete a singing man.Apparently an isolated use.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > singer > other types of singer > [noun] > solo singer
sing-alone1691
1691 A. Gavin Frauds Romish Monks 208 Besides these there were in a little Box near the Altar, four Musicians, called Sing-alones.
sing-in n. [-in suffix3] a musical performance in which the audience participates in the singing.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > a performance > [noun] > sing-song
sing-song1769
sing1850
singing1860
sing-in1968
sing-along1973
1968 Lebende Sprachen 13 67/1 Neologismen mit in im Englischen und Deutschen…sing-in, sit-in, [etc.].
1970 New Yorker 19 Dec. 16 Sing-in at Philharmonic Hall—Handel's ‘Messiah’ directed (seriatim fortunately) by nineteen directors.
1976 Flintshire Leader 10 Dec. 13/2 (heading) Penyffordd ‘sing-in’.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > church government > laity > lay functionaries > chorister > [noun]
songereOE
childOE
clergionc1325
choristerc1360
chanterc1384
quirera1425
choirman1488
singing man1527
clerk1549
chorista1552
songman1599
singing boy1666
sing-man1691
white boy1691
white man1691
choirist1773
secular1786
chorister-boy1817
choirboy1843
1691 A. Gavin Frauds Romish Monks 221 The Abbot sung the first Verse of Even-song, which was continued by the Music and Sing-men.
Draft additions March 2003
to sing the same song (also tune) and variants: (of a number of people) to express the same view, to say the same thing; (also, esp. in to sing from the same hymn (also song) sheet) to present a united front, esp. by being seen publicly to agree. Frequently in political contexts.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > agreement, concurrence, or unanimity > be in agreement [verb (intransitive)]
accord1340
cordc1380
to be condescendedc1386
to be consentedc1386
consenta1400
intend1421
onec1450
drawc1480
to be of (also in) one (or a) mind?1496
agreea1513
gree?a1513
to draw by one string1558
conspire1579
to meet witha1586
conclude1586
condog1592
consign1600
hit1608
centre1652
to be of (another's) mind1717
to go all the way (also the whole way) with1829
to sing the same song1846
society > society and the community > social relations > association for a common purpose > associate for common purpose [verb (intransitive)]
jousta1325
ally?a1400
joinc1400
associe1441
confederc1460
to stick together1525
band1530
to join forces1560
colleaguec1565
alliance1569
to enter league1578
unite1579
interleague1590
confederate1591
to join hands1598
combine1608
injointa1616
combinda1626
bandy1633
comply1646
federate1648
leaguea1649
associate1653
coalesce1657
to understand each other1663
sociate1688
to row in the same (also in one) boat1787
rendezvous1817
to make common cause (with)1845
to sing the same song1846
cahoot1857
to gang up1910
jungle1922
1846 R. Browning Luria iv, in Bells & Pomegranates No. VIII 15/2 Priests, greybeards, Braccios, women, boys and spies, All in one tale, each singing the same song, How thou must house, and live at bed and board.
1944 J. H. Crider Bureaucrat i. vii. 112 Influential members of Congress, singing the same tune, are maneuvering for the development of a system for public discussion openly to formulate policies which will be acceptable to all.
1967 Nashua (New Hampsh.) Tel. 20 Nov. 3/1 You get more people involved, and that makes it difficult. You have to get them all to sing from the same sheet of music.
1976 Economist (Nexis) 15 May 93 There is still time to lose the music, but it looks as though Britain's three largest unions should all be singing the same tune on June 16th.
1994 Independent 1 Sept. 2/6 The prospect then is that Unionist representatives will find themselves ranged against a true pan-nationalist front—a formidable alliance which would see Mr Hume, Mr Adams, the Irish government and Irish-Americans all singing from the same or similar hymn-sheets.
2000 South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) 5 May 32/3 We're all singing from the same hymn sheet and there is a real will to clean up the game, though it may take a life ban to restore cricket's credibility.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
singv.2
/sɪŋ/, U.S. /sɪŋ/, Scottish English /sɪŋ/ Scottish (and northern).
transitive. To singe.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > heating or making hot > subjection or exposure to heat or fire > subject or expose to heat or fire [verb (transitive)] > to superficial burning
singec1000
besinge1340
sing1543
singea1616
sweal1669
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > heating or making hot > subjection or exposure to heat or fire > subject or expose to heat or fire [verb (transitive)] > damage or injure by heat or fire > slightly or superficially
singe1340
rostle1440
sing1543
swinge1590
1543–5 Aberdeen Register XVIII. (Jam.) Sche causand sing the said houiss with ane turf of hedder.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 95 Thay thresche na stuf, bot with fyre thay signe it into the pile vpon the ground.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 95 Quhen thay haue signet it, thay winnow it.
1633 Orkney Witch Trial in Dalyell Darker Superst. of Scot. (1834) 193 Fyre ane piece of linying cleath, and sing ane hair of the beast.
a1689 W. Cleland Coll. Poems (1697) 19 Rebellious Books: Whose paper well might serve the Cooks, To sing their Poultrie.
1725 A. Ramsay Gentle Shepherd ii. i Fat are the puddings,—heads and feet well sung.
1828 P. Buchan Anc. Ballads & Songs N. Scotl. I. 124 It [sc. fire] sang the points o' her yellow hair, And she burnt like keckle-pin.
1884 D. Grant Lays & Legends of North 29 He steed until the flames hed sung The whiskers on his cheek.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1850
v.1c825v.21543- cylindro-conical
- cylindro-conoidal
- cylindro-cylindric
- cylindro-ogival
- cylindrocephalic
- cylindroconic
- cylindroconical
- cylindroconoidal
- cylindrocylindric
- cylindroid
- cylindroidal
- cylindroids
- cylindroma
- cylindrometric
- cylindroogival
- cylix
- cyll
- cyllenian
- cyllenian art
- cyllerie
- cyllowre
- cylure
- cylured
- cyma
- cyma inversa