Etymology

howl

H4O1W4L1

Today it means: The protracted, mournful cry of a dog, wolf or other canid; also of other animals. Full definition →

Middle English howlen ← Old English *hūlian ← Proto-West Germanic *hūilōn
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*kū-
  2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*hūwilōną
  3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*hūilōn
  4. Old English · inherited from*hūlian
  5. Middle English · inherited fromhowlen
  6. English todayhowl

From Middle English howlen, houlen, from Old English *hūlian, from Proto-West Germanic *hūilōn, from Proto-Germanic *hūwilōną, *hiuwilōną (“to howl”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *kū-, *kew- (“to howl, scream”). Likely of imitative origin. Cognate with Saterland Frisian huulje (“to howl”), Dutch huilen (“to cry”), Romanian a hăuli (“to howl”), Old French ouler, German Low German hulen (“to howl”), German heulen (“to howl”), Danish hyle (“to howl”), Swedish yla (“to scream, yell”), Northern Luri آلٛیر (āłir, “howl”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.