What does murmuration mean?
A murmuration is most commonly a large flock of starlings flying together in continually changing formations, creating the impression of a single living shape moving through the sky. These synchronized movements can produce remarkably fluid patterns, with the flock appearing to expand, contract, and divide without any visible leader. The word can also describe a low, continuous sound made by many people speaking softly or indistinctly, such as the murmur of a crowded room. In that sense, it conveys a mixture of quiet, indistinct activity and collective human presence. Although the starling sense dominates contemporary usage, the sound sense is fully established in English and appears in both ordinary and literary contexts. The word is especially memorable for the visual spectacle of a starling murmuration, a phenomenon associated with coordinated movement on a vast scale.
A flock of starlings, especially one flying in shifting, constantly changing formations.
"A murmuration of starlings darkened the sky before settling in the nearby trees."
This is the dominant modern sense of the word.
A low, continuous sound made by many people speaking softly or indistinctly.
"The quiet murmuration of the diners continued until the music began."
This sense is less common today but remains established in descriptive and literary usage.
The plural is used for separate flocks of starlings or distinct instances of collective murmuring.
"Spectators gathered to watch the murmurations above the harbor."
A murmuration of starlings behaves like a living cloud, responding to each bird’s movements as the flock twists through the sky.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does murmuration come from?
The word comes through Latin murmuratio, a noun of action formed from murmurari, meaning “to murmur.” English murmur has roots in Old French murmer and Latin murmurare, whose ultimate origin is uncertain. Related forms in English include murmur, murmurous, and the rarer verb murmurate.
How murmuration is actually used
In modern English, the word is most commonly used for a flock of starlings. Its meanings involving low collective sound are less frequent but remain established, especially in literary and descriptive writing.
Easily confused with murmuration
A murmuration is a collective flock or a low collective sound, whereas a murmur more often means a single continuous sound or an act of speaking softly.