caterwaul

From Middle English caterwrawen, from cater (“cat”) + wrawen, wrawlen (“cry like a cat”), equivalent to cat +‎ waul. Compare Low German katerwaulen (“to cry like a cat”) and Middle Dutch cater (“tomcat”) (Dutch kater).

• Hyphenation: ca‧ter‧waul
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkæt.ə.wɔːl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkæt.ɚ.wɔl/, /ˈkæt.ɚ.wɑl/
• (cot–caught merger, northern cities vowel shift) IPA^(key): /ˈkæt.ɚ.wɑl/

• Audio (US)

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caterwaul (third-person singular simple present caterwauls, present participle caterwauling, simple past and past participle caterwauled)

1. (intransitive) To cry as cats in heat; to make a harsh, offensive noise.
2. (intransitive) To have a noisy argument, like cats.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:argument

• caterwauler

caterwaul (plural caterwauls)

1. A yowling.
2. A noisy quarrel.

• caterwaul in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.