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caterwaul

[ kat-er-wawl ]
/ ˈkæt ərˌwɔl /
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See synonyms for: caterwaul / caterwauled / caterwauling on Thesaurus.com

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.
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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

OTHER WORDS FROM caterwaul

cat·er·waul·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use caterwaul in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions 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

Derived forms of caterwaul

caterwauler, noun

Word Origin for caterwaul

C14: of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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