A Heart Murmur Is a Sound, Not a Diagnosis
A murmur is a low continuous sound. In medicine it describes turbulent blood flow, which may or may not indicate a problem.
A murmur is a low continuous sound. In medicine it names a specific finding: turbulent blood flow producing an audible whoosh between heartbeats. Many murmurs are *innocent*, common in children and pregnancy and requiring no treatment. The word is imitative, and its doubled form is characteristic of sound words across languages.
- A low continuous sound. *A murmur of voices.*
- To speak softly. *He murmured a reply.*
- A heart sound. *An innocent murmur.*
- A complaint. *Without a murmur.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | murmur | A soft murmur. |
| Plural | murmurs | Murmurs of dissent. |
| Verb | murmur | Murmur softly. |
| Adjective | murmuring | A murmuring stream. |
| Related | murmuration | A murmuration of starlings. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Many murmurs are innocent.Requiring no treatment.
- He accepted it without a murmur.Without complaint.
- A murmuration is a flock of starlings.Named from the sound of their wings.
Doubled sound words
- murmur — a low sound
- tom-tom — a drum
- bonbon — a sweet
- cuckoo — the bird's call
- Pattern — reduplication is a common way languages build sound words
From Latin *murmur*, a humming or muttering, of imitative origin — the doubled syllable imitates a continuous sound.
Is a heart murmur serious?
Often not. Innocent murmurs are common, especially in children. Others indicate a valve problem and need investigation.
What is a murmuration?
The collective noun for starlings, and the name for their swirling aerial displays, from the sound of thousands of wings.