ulula-, ululat-

A reference to someone or something that screeches or howls: Shortly after a terrible accident, the people in the neighborhood could hear the ululant police cars and ambulances, with flashing lights, wailing sirens, and blowing horns. © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. To cry out loudly expressing great sadness: The widow was ululating during her husband's funeral.
2. To make a noisy declaration of joy and happiness: Abraham ululated when Eve accepted his proposal of marriage.
3. To emit very loud cries, yowling, or howling, either for communicating or indicating pain; also produced by animals: The wolves were ulutating in the darkness sending shivers up the backs of those who heard them.
4. Etymology: from Latin ululatus; past participle of ululare, "to shriek, to yell, to howl". © ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

Describing someone who, or something which, squalls, shouts out loudly, yells, roars, wails, etc.: The children looked up to the sky where they saw ululated geese screeching wildly while on their way south to their winter residence.

1. A repetitious, rhythmic wailing: Sometimes when there are ululations by mourners for the dead, they can be very disturbing.

Ululation is practiced in certain styles of singing, as well as in communal ritual events, to express strong emotions.

2. Etymology: from Latin ululatus from ullulare, "to shriek, to yell, to howl".

Concerning a person who or something which utters loud weeping, sobbing, wailing, or screamiing sounds: Grace was suddenly ululative with grief when she heard that her boyfriend had just died in a plane crash.

A person or animal that makes a very high pitch noise or sound to express extreme sadness or happiness: A good example of an ululator was Janet, when she found out that she had the highest grade point average of her senior class at the end of the semester and she screamed loudly and steadily because she was so thrilled!

Long wavering, high-intencity vocal sounds resembling a howl or scream with a high pitched quality: The ululatories that were heard in the night gave the campers the creeps and they turned out to be wolves howling deafeningly near the campsite in the full moon!