Bawl

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: [bɔːɫ]

Definitions

1. To weep or sob with loud, uncontrolled cries ; to utter a loud, harsh cry, often to attract attention or express strong emotion
2. To produce loud, noisy crying or wailing sounds ; to yell or call out in a loud and forceful manner
3. To make a noisy display of distress by crying loudly ; to shout or bawl loudly, sometimes in anger or excitement

Etymology: The verb "bawl" came into English in the Middle Ages as "baulen," and its sound is the story. Its ancestors were imitations of the noise itself: the Old Norse "baula" meant to bellow, the way a cow lows, and a Medieval Latin "baulō" meant to bark. Both trace back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to roar," which is also behind the Icelandic "baula," still used of a cow mooing. That root met a second one, from a Proto-Germanic family of words for shouting and roaring, and the two blended. The older root sits in the same ancient family that gave English "bell," so "bawl" and "bell" are distant relatives, both built on the idea of a loud, resonant sound. Modern German "bellen," to bark, belongs to this same family.

Synonyms: cry, wail, howl, yell, scream

Antonyms: whisper, murmur