Barkings

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The sounds produced by dogs, often characterized by sharp, staccato bursts made to communicate excitement or warning
2. Noisy vocalizations emitted by canines as a form of expression, signaling various emotions such as alertness or agitation
3. The loud, harsh cries made by dogs, serving as a means for them to convey alerts, seek attention, or express displeasure

Etymology: "Barkings" is simply the plural of "barking," the noun for the sounds dogs make. "Barking" itself is built from "bark" plus the suffix "-ing," and it comes from the Middle English "berkyng" and "berkande," forms that combined the verb "bark" with that same ending. The more interesting thread is "bark" itself, the verb that gives the whole family its shape. Its sense of a dog's sharp cry grew up alongside the older English sense of a hard outer covering on a tree, and the two are related only in the loosest sense. Because the plural form exists, you can use "barkings" for a series of separate outbursts, each one a distinct volley of yapping rather than a continuous sound.

Synonyms: yelps, howls, woofs