caterwaul
[ kat-er-wawl ]
/ ˈkæt ərˌwɔl /
verb (used without object)
to utter long wailing cries, as cats in rutting time.
to utter a similar sound; howl or screech.
to quarrel like cats.
noun Also cat·er·waul·ing.
the cry of a cat in rutting time.
any similar sound.
Nearby words
- caterina,
- catering,
- caterpillar,
- caterpillar flap,
- caterpillar hunter,
- cates,
- catesby,
- catfall,
- catfight,
- catfish
Origin of caterwaul
1350–1400; Middle English cater(wawen) (equivalent to cater tomcat (< Middle Dutch) + wawen to howl, Old English wāwan to blow, said of the wind) + waul, variant of wail
SYNONYMS FOR caterwaul
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for caterwaul
caterwaul
/ (ˈkætəˌwɔːl) /
verb (intr)
to make a yowling noise, as a cat on heat
noun
a shriek or yell made by or sounding like a cat on heat
Word Origin for caterwaul
C14: of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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caterwaul
late 14c., caterwrawen, perhaps from Low German katerwaulen "cry like a cat," or formed in English from cater, from Middle Dutch cater "tomcat" + Middle English waul "to yowl," apparently from Old English *wrag, *wrah "angry," of uncertain origin but all somehow imitative. Related: Caterwauled; caterwauling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper