ululate
Cry out keening
To ululate is to howl or wail, typically in a long, wavering cry.
The word describes both animal sounds—wolves ululating at the moon—and human ritual cries of mourning or celebration common in Middle Eastern and African cultures: Women ululated at the wedding procession.
The noun is ululation.
Vocal expression of emotion
yowl · keen · caterwaul · bellow · screech · wavering · high-pitched · prolonged
Prolonged mournful cry
- keenSharp or enthusiastic
- lamentMournful expression of grief
- dirgeMournful commemorative music
- funerealGloomily solemn in manner
bereavement · grief · sorrow · keening · requiem · elegy · weeping · anguish
Wild pack canine
- coyoteWild North American canid
- howlProlonged mournful cry
- bayPartially enclosed water
- owlNocturnal feathered predator
hoot · nocturnal · wild · moonlit · night · call · jackal · hyena
cry
Vocal expression of emotion
scream · yowl · keen · caterwaul · bellow · screech · wavering · high-pitched · prolonged · piercing
wail
Prolonged mournful cry
funereal · bereavement · grief · sorrow · keening · requiem · elegy · weeping · anguish · lamentation
wolf
Wild pack canine
owl · hoot · nocturnal · wild · moonlit · night · call · jackal · hyena · primal
trill
Rapid pitch oscillation
festivity · victory · wedding · joyous · triumph · cheer · acclamation · ovation · bridal · ceremony
ceremony
Formal event marking occasions
- chantRepetitive rhythmic phrase
- tribalOf a clan
- indigenousOriginating in a region
ancestors · shaman · rites · tradition · custom · spiritual · invocation · communal · gathering · sacred
ululatewhisper
Speech without full voice
murmur · mutter · hush · silence · speak softly
ululatesuppress
Forcibly put an end to
stifle · hold back · contain oneself · bottle up · internalize