Thursday, March 12, 2009

Word Of The Week - Ululate


ululate \UL-yuh-layt; YOOL-\, intransitive verb:

To howl, as a dog or a wolf; to wail; as, ululating jackals.

She used harrowing, penetrating nasal tones and a rasp that approached Janis Joplin's double-stops; she made notes break and ululate.
-- Jon Pareles, "On the Third Day There Was Whooping and There Was Moshing", New York Times, August 18, 1998

Or perhaps:

Passing the property developers house at the cusp of dawn, the stillness of the moment was shattered. Above, behind smoked glass railings, a group of shirtless former All Blacks were ululating in unison.
-- Mark. E. Fellis Getting To Know Susan Of Herne Bay, Parnell Press 2005