ululate

American  

[uhl-yuh-leyt, yool-] / ˈʌl yəˌleɪt, ˈyul- /

verb (used without object)

ululated, ululating

1. to howl, as a coyote or wolf, or to hoot, as an owl.

2. to utter a loud, long, high-pitched, trilling sound that resembles a howl, especially to express grief or joy.

   the Middle Eastern custom of ululating at weddings and funerals.

3. to lament loudly and shrilly.

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ululate British  

/ ˈjuːljʊˌleɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to howl or wail, as with grief

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Other Word Forms

• ululant
  adjective
• ululation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of ululate

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin ululātus, past participle of ululāre “to howl, shriek,” of imitative origin; akin to Greek hylân, ololýzein “to howl, wail,” Sanskrit ululí- “howling”; see -ate ¹

Explanation

To ululate is to loudly howl or wail. Animals ululate, and so do people in pain. This is an unusual-looking word, but it means something easy to understand: howling or wailing loudly. A lion will ululate. A person in pain will ululate. Coyotes and wolves — who are known for their howling — ululate. People who have their hearts broken might cry and ululate. Ululating could mean the animal or person is in pain, or maybe they’re trying to communicate something else. The key element is that it’s loud.

Example Sentences

When women’s voices ululate, they do so, in different regions of the world, to celebrate, to mourn, to pray, to warn, to seduce.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2020

The horseman howl and ululate in triumph while the Unsullied bang their spears on the ground in unison.

From Salon • May 20, 2019

At that point, as though suddenly realizing that there were dramatic circumstances at hand, the local jamming installations swung into action, commencing to howl and ululate with a doubled fury.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 17, 2014

The man who married Trotsky's secretary made his most interesting and rebellious characters girls: the piratical sisters, the Amazons, who "rattle our sabres to frighten the neighbours", ululate ferociously beneath their bonnets rouges.

From The Guardian • Dec. 19, 2010

A handful of women ululate as the proceedings begin.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri