What does wauling mean?
Wauling means making a prolonged, loud cry or wail, typically because of grief, pain, distress, or fear. It can also refer to the harsh cry characteristic of a cat. As a noun, wauling denotes the cry itself or the act of crying loudly. The word occurs in both British and American English but is much less common than wailing, its standard modern counterpart. In descriptions of human behavior, wauling emphasizes force and duration: someone is not merely upset but crying loudly and persistently. Applied to an animal, especially a cat, it suggests a drawn-out yowl rather than an ordinary meow. Although the spelling may sound unusual to modern speakers, it belongs to an old word family centered on wail and waul, verbs that continue to convey powerful vocal expressions of sorrow, agitation, or animal noise.
To cry or howl loudly, especially with grief, pain, or distress.
"The infant wauled through the night."
The form is less common than the corresponding form of wail.
A prolonged, loud cry or wail; sometimes specifically the harsh cry of a cat.
"Her wauling could be heard throughout the house."
The plural is rarely needed; wauling is often used as an uncountable noun for the activity or sound.
"The distant waulings of cats disturbed the neighbors."
Wauling can carry both the thunder of human grief and the unmistakable yowl of a cat.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of wauling
Wauling was formed from waul, a historical variant of wail. Both descend from Old English wællan, meaning to cry or lament, through Middle English forms of the same verb. They are cognates of howl and relate more distantly to Latin ululate, all expressing the idea of a loud cry. The modern spelling wailing became much more widespread, while wauling survived as a less common form.
How wauling is actually used
Wauling is a less common alternative to the standard spelling wailing. It may sound somewhat literary or old-fashioned when applied to human cries and can describe the harsh, repeated cry of a cat.
Easily confused with wauling
Wailing is the more common modern spelling and covers prolonged cries of grief, pain, or distress, whereas wauling is less frequent and may also suggest the harsh cry of an animal.