caterwaul

American  

[kat-er-wawl] / ˈkæt ərˌwɔl /

verb (used without object)

1. to utter long wailing cries, as cats in rutting time.

2. to utter a similar sound; howl or screech.

   Synonyms:

   yowl, squawk, shriek, wail

3. to quarrel like cats.

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noun

1. the cry of a cat in rutting time.

2. any similar sound.

caterwaul British  

/ ˈkætəˌwɔːl /

verb

1. to make a yowling noise, as a cat on heat

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noun

1. a shriek or yell made by or sounding like a cat on heat

Other Word Forms

• caterwauler
  noun

Etymology

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

Explanation

A caterwaul is a yowl, shriek, or loud cry. If you've ever heard two cats fighting, you know what a caterwaul sounds like. While a caterwaul can be made by a person, it's more likely the wailing sound that a distressed or fighting animal makes. To make this sound is to caterwaul — it's both a noun and verb. Cats are, in fact, the animal best known to caterwaul, and the word is believed to come from the German katerwaulen, "cry like a cat," or possibly the Middle Dutch cater, "tomcat," and Middle English waul, "yowl."

Example Sentences

You can hear the small buzz saws whine, the big saw Caterwaul to the hills around the village As they both bite the wood.

From North of Boston by Frost, Robert