cooee

American  

[koo-ee] / ˈku i /

noun

1. a prolonged, shrill, clear call or cry used as a signal by Aboriginal inhabitants of Australia and adopted by the settlers in the country.

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verb (used without object)

cooeed, cooeeing

1. to utter the call “cooee.”

cooee British  

/ ˈkuːiː /

interjection

1. a call used to attract attention, esp (originally) a long loud high-pitched call on two notes used in the Australian bush

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verb

1. (intr) to utter this call

noun

1. informal calling distance (esp in the phrase within ( a ) cooee ( of ))

Etymology

Origin of cooee

First recorded in 1780–90, cooee is from the Dharuk word gu-wī

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cooee cooeed cooeeing

And presently after I heard from afar his high, melancholy "cooee," and the crack of his thong in the afternoon air as he hastened out to his charges.

From Henry Brocken His Travels and Adventures in the Rich, Strange, Scarce-Imaginable Regions of Romance by De la Mare, Walter

"They can't be far," I say reassuringly, and give a loud cooee, but there is no response.

From Round the Wonderful World by Forrest, A. S. (Archibald Stevenson)

And in another minute his soft "cooee" told his comrades that he had, sure enough, found the missing mark.

From Camp Fires of the Wolf Patrol by Douglas, Alan

Up through the ferns came the thin note of Miss Bibby’s cooee.

From In the Mist of the Mountains by Macfarlane, J.

On page 68, the word "looee" was replaced with "cooee".

From At Large by Hornung, E. W. (Ernest William)

Dad saw them from the paddock and cooeed, and shouted for those at the house to drive them away.

From On Our Selection by Rudd, Steele

I could hear him at night sometimes felling trees for exercise, and occasionally he would answer me when I cooeed.

From Missing Friends Being the Adventures of a Danish Emigrant in Queensland (1871-1880) by Weitemeyer, Thorvald

Once they were out of sight Peachy cooeed for Jess and Irene, who appeared bursting with laughter and demanding details, having witnessed the rout of the enemy from a distance.

From The Jolliest School of All by Brazil, Angela

I dismounted and cooeed; they answered; but when they saw me, they took such of their things as they could and crossed to the opposite side of the river in great hurry and confusion.

From Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia : from Moreton Bay to Port Essington, a distance of upwards of 3000 miles, during the years 1844-1845 by Leichhardt, Ludwig

After a little time I missed the boy, and cooeed for him.

From Reminiscences of Queensland 1862-1869 by Corfield, W. H. (William Henry)

Search-parties cooeeing to each other about the Bush, and lighting signal-fires.

From Joe Wilson and His Mates by Lawson, Henry