Yell vs Wail - What's the difference?
yell | wail | Related terms |
shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice.
to convey by shouting
A shout.
A phrase to be shouted.
* 1912 , The Michigan Alumnus (volume 18, page 152)
A prolonged cry, usually high-pitched, especially as of grief or anguish.
Any similar sound as of lamentation; a howl.
A sound made by emergency vehicle sirens, contrasted with "yelp" which is higher-pitched and faster.
To cry out, as in sorrow or anguish.
To weep, lament persistently or bitterly.
To make a noise like mourning or crying.
To lament; to bewail; to grieve over.
(slang, music) To perform with great liveliness and force.
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(obsolete) To choose; to select.
* Henryson
In intransitive terms the difference between yell and wail
is that yell is shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice while wail is to make a noise like mourning or crying.In transitive terms the difference between yell and wail
is that yell is to convey by shouting while wail is to lament; to bewail; to grieve over.As an adjective yell
is dry of cow.yell
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) yellen, from (etyl) .Verb
(en verb)- He yelled directions to the party from the car.
Synonyms
* (shout) call, cry, holler, shout * See alsoDerived terms
() * yell at * yell silently * yellerUsage notes
To yell at' someone is as in a hostile manner, while to yell ' to someone means to speak loudly so as to be heard.Noun
(en noun)- After the dinner a general reception was held in the spacious parlors of the hotel during which the occasion was very much enlivened with the old college songs and old college yells , which transported us all in mind and feelings
Etymology 2
.wail
English
Etymology 1
Probably from (etyl)Etymology inWebster's Dictionary
Noun
(en noun)- She let out a loud, doleful wail .
- The wail of snow-dark winter winds.
- A bird's wail in the night.
Verb
(en verb)- The wind wailed and the rain streamed down.
- to wail one's death
- (Shakespeare)
Derived terms
* wailer * wailinglyReferences
Etymology 2
Compare Icelandic word for "choice".Verb
(en verb)- Wailed wine and meats