Squal

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To let out a loud, harsh cry, especially in a shrill or wailing way, as a frightened child or animal might
2. Archaic term meaning to screech or wail with a sharp, piercing voice, often expressing fear or pain
3. To make a shrill, noisy outcry, the kind of sound a person or bird gives when startled or hurt

Etymology: In Latin, "squalus" was a name for a sea creature, most likely a shark, and its origin is uncertain. The Latin word is distinct from "squalidus," meaning filthy, which some people wrongly link to it. English took the Latin form as a technical name in the study of fishes, and the scientific genus Squalus, which includes the spurdogs, keeps it. The English "squal" is a rare, specialist term that follows that zoological usage, referring to a shark or a shark-like fish. Its history in English is much thinner than that of the Latin name behind it, and the Latin name appears in technical writing rather than everyday speech.