English word origin

Etymology of waul

From Middle English wraulen, wrawlen (“cry like a cat; roar”). Compare Danish vræle, vråle, Swedish vråla (“to bellow; roar; howl; yell”). See also wrawl.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

verb

To wail, to cry plaintively.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English wraulen, wrawlen (“cry like a cat; roar”). Compare Danish vræle, vråle, Swedish vråla (“to bellow; roar; howl; yell”). See also wrawl.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionwraulenenm
Cognate mentionvræleda
Cognate mentionvrålasv · to bellow; roar; howl; yell

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "wraulen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English wraulen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "vræle"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish vræle"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "vråla",
        "t": "to bellow; roar; howl; yell"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish vråla (“to bellow; roar; howl; yell”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "wraulen",
      "wraulen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "wrawlen",
      "wrawlen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "vræle",
      "vræle#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "vråle",
      "vråle#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "vråla",
      "vråla#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "wrawl",
      "wrawl#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To wail, to cry plaintively."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "a46bf93cea6d7f448cb182b01a42e8ece0111544a32af16cd9a803cb5448c285",
      "rawRecordSha256": "36850d4ceca868dd4cfdb8ab54a4529fe278989f22acca644f5c18b7b35acacb",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 482722
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for waul →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-d2F1bA