ululate

English

WOTD – 4 July 2006

Borrowed from Latin ululō, ululātus, of imitative origin. Cognate with Spanish aullar (“to howl”) and ulular (“to hoot”).

ululate (third-person singular simple present ululates, present participle ululating, simple past and past participle ululated)

to howl loudly or prolongedly in lamentation or joy
- 1915, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Valley of Fear
  Should I ever marry, Watson, I should hope to inspire my wife with some feeling which would prevent her from being walked off by a housekeeper when my corpse was lying within a few yards of her. It was badly stage-managed; for even the rawest investigators must be struck by the absence of the usual feminine ululation.
to produce a rapid and prolonged series of sharp noises with one's voice.

to howl loudly

ululate

ululāte