ululate

[uhl-yuh-leyt, yool-]

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verb (used without object), ul·u·lat·ed, ul·u·lat·ing.

to howl, as a dog or a wolf; hoot, as an owl.

to utter howling sounds, as in shrill, wordless lamentation; wail.

to lament loudly and shrilly.

Origin of ululate

1615–25; < Latin ululātus, past participle of ululāre to howl, shriek, of imitative orig.; see -ate¹

Related formsul·u·la·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ululation

bellow, hoot, yowl, bark, moan, growl, whimper, shout, blubber, clamor, groan, wail, quest, shriek, yell, yelp, lament, roar, whine, bay

Examples from the Web for ululation

Historical Examples of ululation

He could not bring himself to be flung into that vortex of ululation.
Sinister Street, vol. 2
Compton Mackenzie
It was odd to see the effect that the ululation of the wild cat crying out in the woods had had upon the strapping frontiersman.
The Bungalow Boys Along the Yukon
Dexter J. Forrester

British Dictionary definitions for ululation

ululate

verb

(intr) to howl or wail, as with grief

Derived Formsululant, adjectiveululation, noun

Word Origin for ululate

C17: from Latin ululāre to howl, from ulula screech owl

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

Word Origin and History for ululation

1590s, from Latin ululationem (nominative ululatio) "a howling or wailing," noun of action from past participle stem of ululare "ululate," a reduplicated imitative root (cf. Greek ololyzein "to cry aloud," Sanskrit ululih "a howling," Lithuanian uluti "howl," Gaelic uileliugh "wail of lamentation," Old English ule "owl").

ululate

1620s, from Latin ululatus, past participle of ululare (see ululation). Related: Ululated; ululating.