tweet

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈtwiːt/^[1]

Etymology

It is imitative of the chirp of a small bird.^[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

An imitation of a small bird's note: 1845.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The verb, to chirp, is by 1851.^[2][6][7] Hoad dates noun and verb to the 19th century.^[3] As a word for a short message posted on the Twitter service, and the verb to post one, it is from 2007.^[2]

Timeline

• 1845 – a bird's chirp.^[2][6]
• 1851 – to chirp (verb).^[2][6]
• 2007 – a post on Twitter.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The chirp of a small bird.
2. A short message posted on the social media service Twitter.

Verb

1. To make a chirping sound.
2. To post a message on Twitter.

Word family

• tweeter

Related words

• twitter
• chirp

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster