cat|er|waul

cat|er|waul: cat|er|waul «KAT uhr wl», verb, noun.

–v.i.

1. (of cats) to utter long-drawn, wailing cries, especially in the night; give their characteristic cry at rutting time: »Dread midnight come, the cats 'gan caterwaul (Jeremy Taylor).

2. Figurative. a) to howl like a cat; screech: »The bagpipes caterwauled.
b) to quarrel noisily: »Those that are concerned in another's Love and Hour, are…always caterwauling (Samuel Butler).

–n.

1. the characteristic cry of a rutting cat.

2. Figurative. any sound, such as music or singing, likened to this; screech: »The lovely caterwaul, Tart solo, sour duet, and general squall,—These are our hymn (Oliver Wendell Holmes).

╂[Middle English caterwrawe < cater cat + wrawe, wawe wail, howl; perhaps influenced later by howl, yowl]

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cat|er|waul|ing — «KAT uhr W lihng», noun, adjective. –n. 1. = caterwaul. (Cf. ↑caterwaul) 2. Figurative. a whining or complaining: »There ll probably be a lot of caterwauling about the guaranteed annual wage (Wall Street Journal). –adj. resembling the… … Useful english dictionary
cat·er·waul — … Useful english dictionary
waul — waul; cat·er·waul; … English syllables
Waul — Waul, v. i. [Of imitative origin.] To cry as a cat; to squall; to wail. [Written also {wawl}.] [1913 Webster] The helpless infant, coming wauling and crying into the world. Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
waul — wÉ”Ël v. cry with a high pitched sound, cry with a piercing sound like a baby or cat; make whiney loud sounds: squall … English contemporary dictionary
waul — [wɔ:l] verb give a loud plaintive cry like that of a cat. Origin C16: imitative … English new terms dictionary
waul — /wɔl/ (say wawl) verb (i) to cry as a cat or a newborn baby; squall. Also, wawl. {imitative} …
waul — v.intr. (also wawl) give a loud plaintive cry like a cat. Etymology: imit … Useful english dictionary
caterwaul — cat·er·waul … English syllables
caterwaul — cat•er•waul [[t]ˈkæt ərˌwɔl[/t]] v. i. 1) anb to utter long wailing cries, as cats in rutting time 2) cvb to utter a similar sound; howl or screech 3) cvb to quarrel like cats 4) anb the cry of a cat in rutting time 5) cvb any similar sound Also … From formal English to slang

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cat|er|waul

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cat|er|waul

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