grumble

[KatyBr]

grum·ble (grŭm'bəl)

v., -bled, -bling, -bles.

v.intr.
To complain in a surly manner; mutter discontentedly: “The governed will always find something to grumble about” (Crane Brinton).
To rumble or growl.
v.tr.
To express in a grumbling discontented manner: grumbled a rude response.

n.
A muttered complaint.
A rumble; a growl.
[Probably Dutch grommelen, to mutter, from Middle Dutch, frequentative of grommen.]

grum'bler n.
grum'bling·ly adv.
grum'bly adj.



Thesaurus
grumble

verb

To complain in low indistinct tones: grunt, murmur, mutter. See happy/unhappy, sounds/pleasant sounds/unpleasant sounds/neutral sounds or silence.
To make a continuous deep reverberating sound: boom, growl, roll, rumble. See sounds/pleasant sounds/unpleasant sounds/neutral sounds or silence.
noun

A low indistinct utterance of complaint: grunt, murmur, mutter. See happy/unhappy, sounds/pleasant sounds/unpleasant sounds/neutral sounds or silence.

It has a funny sound to it doesn't it? Grumble....mumble, mumble, so phonasthetic.

Katy

[Slava]

Nice word. I decided to look up the etymology, too, and found another interesting blip from dictionary.com

They say it might be "imitative." Now, is this the same as onomatopoeic, or is there a difference?

Weigh in, ye wordies out there.