different between tinkle vs tintinnabulation

English

Etymology

From Middle English tinclen, equivalent to tink +? -le (frequentative suffix).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?t??k?l/
• Rhymes: -??k?l

Verb

tinkle (third-person singular simple present tinkles, present participle tinkling, simple past and past participle tinkled)

1. (intransitive) To make light metallic sounds, rather like a very small bell.
   • 1753, Robert Dodsley, Agriculture

     The sprightly horse / Moves to the music of his tinkling bells.

2. (transitive) To cause to tinkle.
3. (transitive) To indicate, signal, etc. by tinkling.

4. To hear, or resound with, a small, sharp sound.

   • And his ears tinkled, and the colour fled.

5. (intransitive, informal) To urinate.

Synonyms

• (urinate): See Thesaurus:urinate

Derived terms

• atinkle
• tinkle-down
• tinkle the ivories

Translations

Noun

tinkle (plural tinkles)

1. A light metallic sound, resembling the tinkling of bells or wind chimes.
2. (Britain, informal) A telephone call.

   Synonyms: call, ring

3. (informal, euphemistic) An act of urination.

Translations

English

Etymology

Noun of action from tintinnabulate, from Latin tintinnabulum (“a bell”), from tintin?, a reduplicated form of tinni? (“ring, jingle”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?t?nt?n?næbj??le??n/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /?t?nt?n?næbju??le??n/

Noun

tintinnabulation (countable and uncountable, plural tintinnabulations)

1. A tinkling sound, as of a bell or of breaking glass.
   • 1919, Ronald Firbank, Valmouth, Duckworth, hardback edition, page 20

     Across the darkling meadows, from the heights of Hare, the tintinnabulation sounded mournfully, penetrating the curl-wreathed tympanums of Lady Parvula de Panzoust.

2. The ringing of bells.
   • 1849, Edgar Allan Poe, The Bells

     Keeping time, time, time,

     In a sort of Runic rhyme,

     To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells

     From the bells, bells, bells, bells,

     Bells, bells, bells —

     From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

Related terms

• tintinnabulate
• tintinnabulum

Translations