ululate

****************************************************************
See why Library Journal says that Merriam-Webster Unabridged.com
"literally redefines the notion of what a dictionary can be..."
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged_sub.pl?refr=U_wod
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for February 16 is:

ululate   \ULL-yuh-layt\   verb
     : howl, wail 

Example sentence:
     "People waved, ululated and punched the air with their 
fists, not bothered if those inside the motorcade were 
responding or even paying attention to the excitement outside." 
(_Africa News_, November 2004)

Did you know?
     "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 his book 
_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 to 
show approval.