Word of the Day

: February 25, 2024

caterwaul

verb KAT-er-wawl

What It Means

To caterwaul is to make a very loud and unpleasant sound. Caterwaul can also mean “to protest or complain noisily.”

// The woods were quiet until the sound of a chainsaw caterwauling in the distance broke the calm.

// They continue to caterwaul about having to take the blame.

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caterwaul in Context

“The young woman in her 20s seated next to me laughed and caterwauled as other audience members participated in the traditional ‘Rocky Horror’ routine, shouting catchphrases and sarcastic commentary back at the actors.” — Peter Marks, The Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2023

Did You Know?

Though the most familiar sense of caterwaul, “to protest or complain loudly,” is not specific to our feline friends, we still think it’s the cat’s meow, and not without good reason. Caterwaul first appeared in English in the 1300s as a verb applied to the wailing sounds made by cats when on the prowl for a mate. The word comes from the Middle English word caterwawen (also caterwrawen), but its origins beyond that are obscure. The cater part is thought to be connected to the cat, but scholars disagree about whether it traces to the Middle Dutch word cāter, meaning “tomcat,” or if it is merely cat with an “-er” added. Wawen is probably imitative in origin, approximating one of the domestic kitty’s many vocalizations. By the 1600s caterwaul was also being used for similar non-cat noises and later as a noun referring to noisy people or things.