caterwauler

cat·er·waul

C c

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [kat-er-wawl]
- /ˈkæt ərˌwɔl/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [kat-er-wawl]
- /ˈkæt ərˌwɔl/

Definitions of caterwauler word

verb without object caterwauler to utter long wailing cries, as cats in rutting time. 1
verb without object caterwauler to utter a similar sound; howl or screech. 1
verb without object caterwauler to quarrel like cats. 1
noun caterwauler the cry of a cat in rutting time. 1
noun caterwauler any similar sound. 1
noun caterwauler One who caterwauls. 1

See all 6 definitions of caterwauler

Information block about the term

Origin of caterwauler

First appearance:

before 1350

One of the 20% oldest English words

1350-1400; Middle English cater(wawen) (equivalent to cater tomcat (< Middle Dutch) + wawen to howl, Old English wāwan to blow, said of the wind) + waul, variant of wail

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Caterwauler

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Caterwauler

caterwauler popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 51% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

caterwauler usage trend in Literature

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