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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

ululate en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • (US) audio
  • /ˈjuːljuleɪt/
  • /ˈʌljəleɪt/

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ululō, ululātus, of imitative origin. Cognate with Spanish aullar (“to howl”) and ulular (“to hoot”), and French ululer (“to howl”).

Meanings

  1. To howl loudly or prolongedly in lamentation or joy.
    • Should I ever marry, Watson, I should hope to inspire my wife with some feeling which would prevent her from being walked off by a housekeeper when my corpse was lying within a few yards of her. It was badly stage-managed; for even the rawest investigators must be struck by the absence of the usual feminine ululation. 1915, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Valley of Fear:
    • Women dance in tight circles, ululating with joy, while groups of men sit nearby watching. 2025 June 30, Andrei Popoviciu, “In Sudan, a bride and her village celebrate love in a time of war”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 03 Jul 2025:
  2. To produce a rapid and prolonged series of sharp noises with one's voice.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
ululated Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
ululated Tense=Past lexicographic
ululates Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
ululating Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Relateds

ululation · ululant · ululatingly

Synonyms

bay · wail · howl

Translations (34)

sh urlati (to howl loudly) · nl ululeren (to howl loudly) · rup aurlu (to howl loudly) · ca ulular (to howl loudly) · es ulular (to howl loudly) · pt ulular (to howl loudly) · sh zavijati (to howl loudly) · mpi swe (to howl loudly) · rm üerler (to howl loudly) · io ulular (to howl loudly) · hu üvölt (to howl loudly) · fi ulvoa (to howl loudly) · kmr nalîn (to howl loudly) · ro urla (to howl loudly) · vec urlar (to howl loudly) · ko 울다 (to howl loudly) · ko 우짖다 (to howl loudly) · fr hululer (to howl loudly) · cs skučet (to howl loudly) · rup urlu (to howl loudly) · bg вия (to howl loudly) · it ululare (to howl loudly) · la ululō (to howl loudly) · rm urlar (to howl loudly) · nrf heurler (to howl loudly) · pl zawodzić (to howl loudly) · ca udolar (to howl loudly) · fur urlâ (to howl loudly) · fr ululer (to howl loudly) · de heulen (to howl loudly) · el αλαλάζω (to howl loudly) · pl wyć (to howl loudly) · ko 울부짖다 (to howl loudly) · pl lamentować (to howl loudly)