Miaous

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The distinct alternating vocal sounds produced by cats; the onomatopoeic representation of such feline calls; a plural form denoting multiple instances of these cat sounds
2. A series of repeated cat vocalizations characterized by sharp, wavering tones; an abstraction for the typical sound a cat makes; the collective term for numerous such noises
3. Vocal emissions typical to members of the feline family, often indicating communication; the phonetic imitation of these sounds in written form; a term indicating more than one cat's meow-like utterance

Etymology: "Miaous" is the third-person singular present form of the verb "miaou", so it describes a cat making the sound "miaou" (the word is also the plural of the noun for that sound). Its origin lies in the imitation of a cat's call: "miaou" is an onomatopoeic word, an attempt to write down the alternating vowel-and-consonant cry that a cat produces. The form itself is simple. An English speaker adds "-s" to a verb in the third person singular, so a cat that "miaous" is doing what "miaou" names. The same "-s" marks the plural noun when several calls are meant. Nothing in the spelling changes, so the inflected form reads exactly like the base verb plus its ending.

Synonyms: meows, mews, cat cries, cat sounds