noun / verb
yowl
YOWL/jaʊl/
A long, loud, mournful cry, or to make such a cry.
The cat yowls mournfully beside its empty food bowl.
Etymology
Middle English youlen already meant giving a long, distressful or mournful cry. It probably arose by imitating the sound itself, matching the drawn-out cry expressed by the modern verb.
In context
a cat's got to eat right and they're not afraid to let you know when it's Meal Time a Hungry Cat will often yowl at their food bowl
More examples
- A long, mournful yowl comes from the alley.
- The dog yowled in pain until help arrived.
- We hear the cats' drawn-out yowls through the open window.
Forms
yowl · yowls · yowled · yowling