ululate

verb

ul·​u·​late ˈəl-yə-ˌlāt 

ˈyül-

ululated; ululating

intransitive verb

: to utter a loud, usually protracted, high-pitched, rhythmical sound especially as an expression of sorrow, joy, celebration, or reverence : howl

… eight singers took to the aisle, dancing with ferocious energy as the chorus sang, ululated and clapped in an exuberant, multisensory ode to joy.

—Susan Saccoccia

As soon as he said our mother's name, my sisters began to wail: keening, ululating cries, the Greek expression of sorrow for the dead.

—Nicholas Gage

ululation

ˌəl-yə-ˈlā-shən 

ˌyül-

noun

As they rounded the tent the third time to the open doorway, they acknowledged the departure of the Old Woman with high-pitched trills and ululations…

—Barbara A. Worley

When women spot Maathai, they surround her, offering congratulations, bursting into cries of celebratory ululation, asking to snap a picture with her.

—Judith Stone

Did you know?

When Should You Use ululate?

"When other birds are still, the screech owls take up the strain, like mourning women their ancient u-lu-lu." When Henry David Thoreau used "u-lu-lu" to imitate the cry of screech owls and mourning women in that particular passage from Walden, he was re-enacting the etymology of ululate (a word he likely knew). Ululate descends from the Latin verb ululare. That Latin root carried the same meaning as our modern English word, and it likely originated in the echoes of the rhythmic wailing sound associated with it. Even today, ululate often refers to ritualistic or expressive wailing performed at times of mourning or celebration or used to show approval.

Synonyms

• bay
• howl
• keen
• wail
• yowl

Examples of ululate in a Sentence

a widow ululating in sorrow

Arab women ululating with grief.

Recent Examples on the Web

Individual voices — chanting, ululating, cracking, squealing, howling — gradually emerge over speakers, as does a soft, smooth choral harmony underneath. —Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2020

No, but their enjoyment of their visit to The Bean stands to be dramatically impaired if the immediately surrounding area becomes a boisterous daily forum for competing religious, political and social activists ululating for attention. —Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, 17 Sep. 2019

Memes of women praising the crown prince and ululating in celebration danced around the Internet. —Ben Hubbard, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2019

People in the courtroom were ecstatic, leaping up, clapping and ululating, LEGABIBO legal policy director Caine Youngman told The Associated Press. —Cara Anna, chicagotribune.com, 11 June 2019

Women ululated as Francis and the king walked along the promenade of the Hassan Tower complex under umbrellas. —Amira El Masaiti, The Seattle Times, 31 Mar. 2019

Sam and Bash force the quiet Indian-American student Arthie Premkumar (Sunita Mani) to play Beirut the Mad Bomber, a Lebanese terrorist who growls and ululates. —Judy Berman, New York Times, 25 June 2018

The crowd ululates and the black BMW disappears as supporters cut toward it. —Laignee Barron / Kedah, Time, 8 May 2018

Word History

Etymology

Latin ululatus, past participle of ululare, of imitative origin

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined above

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