ululate

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈjuːljuleɪt/, /ˈʌljəleɪt/

• Audio (US):

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ululate (third-person singular simple present ululates, present participle ululating, simple past and past participle ululated)

1. to howl loudly or prolongedly in lamentation or joy
   • 1915, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Valley of Fear:

     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.

   • 2025 June 30, Andrei Popoviciu, “In Sudan, a bride and her village celebrate love in a time of war”, in The Christian Science Monitor:

     Women dance in tight circles, ululating with joy, while groups of men sit nearby watching.

2. to produce a rapid and prolonged series of sharp noises with one's voice.

• (to howl): bay, howl, wail

• ululant
• ululation

ululate

1. inflection of ululare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

ululate f pl

1. feminine plural of ululato

ululāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of ululō

ululate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of ulular combined with te