▪ I.chirm,n.arch.and dial.|tʃɜːm|Forms: 1 cirm, cyrm, 3 chirm, 6 chirme; 5–6 chyrme, cherme, 6 chearm, charme, 6–7 churme, 7 churmne:cf.also charmn.2[Immediately connected with chirm v.]1.Noise, din, chatter, vocal noise (in later timesesp.of birds).a800CorpusGloss.925Fragor, suoeg, cirm.
c975Rushw.Gosp.Matt.xxv. 6æt middere niht þa cirm geworden wæs.
a1000inWr.-Wülcker 205Clangor, tubarum sonus..dyne, geþun, cyrm.
a1250Owl & Night. 305TheȜ crowe bigrede him..And goþ to him mid heore chirme.
1513Douglasæneis iii. vi. 14That wnderstandis the..chirme of every birdis voce on fer.
1806TrainPoeticalRev.79 (Jam.)A chirm she heard..out o' a hole she shot her head.
2.esp.The mingled din or noise of many birds or voices, the ‘hum’ of school children, insects, etc.1530Palsgr.617What a cherme these byrdes make[jargonnent]!
1547BrendLett.in Tytler Hist.Scot.(1864) III. 379Words confirmed with a churme of those that stood about.
1556Hobytr.Castilione's Covrtyer (1577) G ii a,Then was there heard..a cherme of loude speaking.
1556J. HeywoodSpider & F. lv. 1With this a chirme in mumering there fell: Amongst them[insects]all.
1600HollandLivy vi. 235Grammer schooles ringing againe with a chirme of schollers.
1622BaconHen.VII, 186[Perkin]was conueighed leasurely on Horsebacke..through Cheape-side..with the Churme of a thousand taunts and reproches.
1841Fraser'sMag.XXIII. 457A coming tempest announces itself by the birds subduing their song to a chirm.
†3.A company or flock (of finches). Obs.c1430Lydg.Hors, Shepe, & G. (1822) 30A chyrme of fynches, a swarme of bees.
1486Bk.St.Albans F vj,A Cherme of Goldefynches.
1688in R. HolmeArmoury ii. 311/1.
▪ II.chirm,v.arch.and dial.|tʃɜːm|Forms: 1 cirm-an, cyrm-an, 3 chirmen, 5–6 chirme, chyrm(e, 6– chirm, (9 churm).[OE.cirm-an to cry out, shout, make a noise.Cf.Du.kermen,MDu.kermen, karmen, to mourn, lament,MLG.kermen. The ulterior history is uncertain.]1.intr.To cry out, vociferate, roar: originally used widely, but in Middle and modern English, chiefly restricted to the melodious chatter or warbling of birds, or of human beings compared to birds.a1000Judith 270Hi ongunnon cirman hlude.
a1000Guthlac (Gr.) 880Swa wilde deor cirmdon.
a1225Ancr. R. 152Sparuwe..cheatereð euer ant chirmeð. So ouh ancre..chirmen & cheateren euer hire bonen.
c1475Partenay 878Briddes..meryly chirmed in the grene wod.
1595DuncanApp.Etymol.(E.D.S.) Repr.Gloss.xiii,Cantillo, to chante or chirme.
1623Cockeram ii,To Chirme like birdes, Gingreate.
1700WallaceAcc.New Caledonia in Misc.Cur. (1708) III. 417We have a Monkey aboard that chirms like a Lark.
a1774FergussonPoems (1845) 12Linties, chirmin' frae the spray.
1808R. AndersonCumbrld. Ball. 31Then he wad chirm and talk, And say, Ded, ded; Mam, mam, and aw.
1840GaltDemon Dest., etc. 63Admiring wonder churm'd from all the throng.
1860–80FergusonCumbrld.Gloss.(E.D.S.)Chirm, to chirp.
1865A. SmithSumm. Skye (1880) 345The fairy sits..chirming and singing songs to the cows.
2.trans.or with cognate object.1728RamsayGentl.Sheph.i. i,To hear the birds chirm o'er their pleasing rants!
1832–53Whistle-BinkieSer.i. 98The corn-craik was chirming His sad eerie cry.
Hence chirming vbl.n.andppl.a.1481CaxtonOld Age,And knewe the thyngys to come by the chyrmyng and by the song and by the countenance of foulys and birddys.
1595DuncanApp.Etymolog. (E.D.S.)Augur, a gesser be the chirming of birds.
1854Phemie Millar 33A chirming..foolish woman.
1877OuidaPuck xxix. 359Sounds of..stirring bees and chirming birds.
