mewl

Etymology

From 1599 or earlier (1530 in a Scottish document), apparently from Shakespeare with this spelling. Perhaps from Middle English mewen (“to whimper”) + -le (frequentative suffix).

verb

  1. To cry weakly with a soft, high-pitched sound; to whimper; to whine.
    My father started rubbing and rubbing on Mittens, scruffying her fur the wrong way, and she mewled her protests. 2007, Kiesa Kay, Mimosa May, Tornado Alley, page 11

noun

  1. A soft cry or whimper; an act of mewling.
    There would have been total silence if it hadn't been for the sea nearby, mewling. Indeed, that same mewl added to the sleepy image that filled the dormant house. 1995, Lídia Jorge, Natália Costa, Ronald W. Sousa, transl., The Murmuring Coast, page 89
    I let out another moaning mewl, biting my lip as I awaited whatever he planned. 2009, Mickey Erlach, Cruising for Bad Boys, page 61
    The scratching stopped, and there was another piteous mewl from behind the door. 2010, Chris Wooding, Malice, page 15

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