Made a short, sharp, high-pitched sound like a bird; spoke in a cheerful or lively manner.
From Middle English 'chirpen,' of imitative origin—the word itself mimics the sound it describes. First recorded in the 15th century, it's one of many onomatopoetic words in English that echo natural sounds.
Onomatopoeia like 'chirp' shows how humans across all languages instinctively create words that sound like what they mean—if you've never heard English, a 'chirp' still sounds like a bird because our brains are wired to connect sound to meaning in these primal ways.
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