ululate
verb/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”).
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.
- Related terms
- ululant, ululatingly, ululation