caterwaul
[kat-er-wawl]
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.
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
Related Words for caterwaul
bicker, wail, screech, bawl, squall, yowl, yell, shriek, scream, howl, quarrelExamples from the Web for caterwaul
Contemporary Examples of caterwaul
And so it happens that the people who caterwaul about America being weak in the world become the very people who make it weaker.
Historical Examples of caterwaul
At once she began to meouw and caterwaul with all her might.
Dutch Fairy Tales for Young FolksWilliam Elliot Griffis
It reached the edge of the pool, spread out all its legs with a caterwaul of despair, and went headlong into the water.
Charlie to the RescueR.M. Ballantyne
We caterwaul and scratch and steal, just as human beings in our situation would take to drink.
DaisyMiranda Eliot Swan
Caterwaul, kat′ėr-wawl, n. the shriek or cry emitted by the cat when in heat.
Consequently, what does your baby do but betake itself to a practical study of the caterwaul!
caterwaul
verb (intr)
noun
Word Origin for caterwaul
C14: of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper