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ululate

[uhl-yuh-leyt, yool-]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ululate ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. ultraviolet radiation,
  2. ultravirus,
  3. ultrawideband,
  4. ulu,
  5. ululant,
  6. ululation,
  7. ulundi,
  8. uluru,
  9. ulyanov, vladimir ilyich,
  10. ulyanovsk

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

Examples from the Web for 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
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper