Yelped

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /jɛlpt/

Definitions

1. To utter a short, sharp vocalization of distress or surprise as a reaction to pain or fear
2. To produce a brief high-pitched sound indicating sudden discomfort or alarm in response to a startling event
3. Expressed a sudden, high-pitched call as a reflex to pain or shock

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "yelped" is that the sound was once tied to boasting. The Old English verb "ġielpan" meant "to boast," and its Proto-Germanic ancestor ""gelpaną" carried the sense "to sound off, boast." The shift from braggart's talk to a sharp cry of pain happened over centuries, and the two senses were not separated by a clean line. Middle English "yelpen" still carried a loud, vaunting quality, and the sense of noisy, excited vocal display narrowed toward the animal-like bark or shriek we now recognise. The root is older still. Proto-Indo-European ""gʰel-" meant "to call, shout, scream," so the earliest idea behind the word was simply a loud voice. Its relatives in German and Frisian show the same pattern: German Low German "galpen" meant "to scream, shriek, howl," while Middle High German "gelpfen" covered roaring, howling, barking, boasting, and singing loudly all at once. The Frisian "jalpe" meant "to bleep" or "cheep," which suggests how far the family of meanings spread from one basic noise.

Synonyms: barked, howled, squealed, whined, cry