howl

English

Etymology

From Middle English howlen, houlen, from Old English *hūlian, from Proto-Germanic *hūwilōną, *hiuwilōną (“to howl”), from Proto-Indo-European *kū-, *kew- (“to howl, scream”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian huulje (“to howl”), Dutch huilen (“to howl”), Old French ouler, uller ("to howl"; < Germanic), German Low German hulen (“to howl”), German heulen (“to howl”), Danish hyle (“to howl”), Swedish hyla (“to scream, yell”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: houl, IPA^(key): /haʊl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊl

Noun

howl (plural howls)

1. The protracted, mournful cry of a dog or a wolf, or other like sound.
2. A prolonged cry of distress or anguish; a wail.

Derived terms

• Irish howl

Translations

protracted, mournful cry of a dog or a wolf

• Bulgarian: вой (bg) m (voj)
• Catalan: udol (ca) m
• Czech: vytí n
• Danish: hyl n
• Dutch: gehuil (nl) n
• Esperanto: hurlo
• Finnish: ulvonta (fi)
• French: hurlement (fr)
• Galician: ouveo m
• German: Heulen (de) n
• Greek: ούρλιασμα (el) n (oúrliasma)
• Italian: ululato (it), uggiolio m, latrato (it) m
• Japanese: 遠吠え (tōboe) (mainly for dog or wolf), 叫び声 (sakebi-goe)
• Korean: 울음 (ko) (ur-eum), 울부짖음 (ulbujij-eum), 우짖음 (ujij-eum)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Kurdish:

  Sorani:

• Macedonian: виеж m (viež)
• Maori: ngawī, ngawē, paroro
• Old English: ġeþēot n
• Polish: wycie (pl)
• Portuguese: uivo (pt) m
• Russian: вой (ru) m (voj), вытьё (ru) n (vytʹjó)
• Serbo-Croatian: zavijanje n
• Spanish: aullido (es) m
• Swedish: ylande (sv) n
• Tagalog: alulong
• Turkish: uluma (tr), inilti (tr)
• Yiddish: הויל (hoyl)

prolonged cry of distress or anguish

• Bulgarian: рев (bg) m (rev)
• Catalan: udol (ca) m, udol (ca) m
• Czech: zavytí
• Dutch: gebrul (nl) n, gehuil (nl) n, gejammer (nl) n
• Esperanto: hurlo
• Finnish: ulvonta (fi)
• Greek: ούρλιασμα (el) n (oúrliasma)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: guaito (it) m
• Japanese: 嘆き (nageki), 絶叫 (zekkyō)
• Korean: 울부짖음 (ulbujij-eum)
• Russian: вопль (ru) m (voplʹ), рёв (ru) m (rjov), вой (ru) m (voj)
• Scottish Gaelic: sgal m
• Serbo-Croatian: jauk (sh) m

Verb

howl (third-person singular simple present howls, present participle howling, simple past and past participle howled)

1. To utter a loud, protracted, mournful sound or cry, as dogs and wolves often do.
   • (Can we date this quote by Drayton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     And dogs in corners set them down to howl.

   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Methought a legion of foul fiends / Environ'd me about, and howled in my ears.

2. To utter a sound expressive of pain or distress; to cry aloud and mournfully; to lament; to wail.
   • Bible, Isaiah xiii. 6

     Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand.

3. To make a noise resembling the cry of a wild beast.
   • (Can we date this quote by Sir Walter Scott and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Wild howled the wind.

4. To utter with outcry.

   to howl derision

Translations

To utter a loud, protracted, mournful sound or cry, as dogs and wolves often do

• Armenian: ոռնալ (hy) (oṙnal)
• Belarusian: выць (vycʹ)
• Bulgarian: ви́я (bg) (víja)
• Catalan: udolar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 吼 (zh) (hǒu)

• Cornish: oulya
• Crimean Tatar: ulumaq
• Czech: výt (cs)
• Esperanto: hurli
• Finnish: ulvoa (fi)
• French: hurler (fr)
• Galician: ouvear (gl)
• German: heulen (de), jaulen (de)
• Greek: ουρλιάζω (el) (ourliázo)

  Ancient: ὀλολύζω (ololúzō)

• Italian: ululare (it), gannire (it)
• Japanese: 遠吠えする (とおぼえする, tōboe suru), 吠える (ja) (ほえる, hoeru)
• Korean: 울다 (ko) (ulda), 울부짖다 (ulbujitda), 우짖다 (ujitda)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani:

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: ululō
• Maori: whakapū, whakaparoro, ngawī
• Norwegian: hyle (no)
• Old English: þēotan
• Polish: wyć (pl)
• Portuguese: uivar (pt)
• Quechua: ayñay
• Romanian: urla (ro), rage (ro)
• Russian: выть (ru) impf (vytʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: sgal
• Serbo-Croatian: zavijati (sh)
• Shuswap: awt
• Slovak: vyť
• Spanish: aullar (es)
• Swedish: yla (sv)
• Tagalog: umalulong
• Thai: หอน (hɔ̌ɔn)
• Turkish: ulumak (tr)
• Ukrainian: ви́ти (výty)
• Vietnamese: hú (vi), tru (vi)
• Welsh: udo (cy)
• Yiddish: בילן (biln), הויל (hoyl)

to utter a sound expressive of pain or distress

• Bulgarian: стена (bg) (stena)
• Catalan: udolar (ca)
• Czech: výt (cs), skučet, kvílet
• Dutch: huilen (nl), jammeren (nl)
• Finnish: ulvoa (fi)
• Greek: ουρλιάζω (el) (ourliázo)

  Ancient: ὀλολύζω (ololúzō)

• Japanese: 叫ぶ (ja) (sakebu), 絶叫する (zekkyō-suru)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 울부짖다 (ulbujitda), 외치다 (ko) (oechida)
• Latin: ululō
• Maori: whakapū, tarawē
• Russian: завыва́ть (ru) impf (zavyvátʹ), выть (ru) impf (vytʹ), реве́ть (ru) impf (revétʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: sgal
• Serbo-Croatian: jaukati (sh)
• Spanish: gañir (es)
• Turkish: inlemek (tr)

to utter with outcry

• Bulgarian: рева (bg) (reva)
• Catalan: udolar (ca)
• Dutch: uitroepen (nl), uitschreeuwen (nl)
• Finnish: ulvoa (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 叫ぶ (ja) (sakebu)
• Korean: 외치다 (ko) (oechida)
• Latin: ululo
• Serbo-Croatian: urlati (sh), urlikati (sh)

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Cornish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *sāwol (compare Welsh haul, Breton heol; compare also Irish súil (“eye”)), from Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂wl̥.

Noun

howl m (plural howlyow)

1. sun