Nearby words
bawcock, bawd, bawdry, bawdy, bawdyhouse, bawl, bawl out, bawn, bawneen, bax, bax, sir arnold edward trevor
Origin of bawl
1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin baulāre to bark < Germanic; compare Old Norse baula to low, baula cow, perhaps a conflation of belja (see bell2) with an old root *bhu-
Related formsbawl·er, nounout·bawl, verb (used with object)
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for bawl
British Dictionary definitions for bawl
bawl
/ (bɔːl) /
verb
(intr) to utter long loud cries, as from pain or frustration; wail
to shout loudly, as in anger
noun
a loud shout or cry
Derived Formsbawler, nounbawling, noun
Word Origin for bawl
C15: probably from Icelandic baula to low; related to Medieval Latin baulāre to bark, Swedish böla to low; all of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for bawl
bawl
mid-15c., "to howl like a dog," from Old Norse baula "to low like a cow," and/or Medieval Latin baulare "to bark like a dog," both echoic. Meaning "to shout loudly" attested from 1590s. To bawl (someone) out "reprimand loudly" is 1908, American English. Related: Bawled; bawling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper