It's Merriam-Webster's word of the day for February 25th.

Today's word is Katerwall, spelled C-A-T-E-R-W-A-U-L-K-W-A-L-K-W-A-L-K-W-A-L is a verb. To Catarwall is to make a very loud and unpleasant sound.

Catarwall can also mean to protest or... very loud and unpleasant sound.

Caterwell can also mean to protest or complain noisily.

Here's the word used in a sentence from the Washington Post by Peter Marks.

The young woman in her 20s seated next to me, laughed and

catarwalled as other audience members participated in the traditional

rocky horror routine shouting catchphrases and sarcastic commentary back at the actors.

Though the most familiar sense of Katterwall to protest or complain loudly is not specific to our feline friends, we still think it's

the cat's meow and not without good reason.

Katerwal first appeared in English in the 1300s as a verb applied to the wailing sounds made by cats

when on the prowl for a mate. The word comes from the middle English word Catarwoven,

but its origins beyond that are obscure. The cater part is thought

to be connected to the cat but scholars disagree about whether it traces to the middle

Dutch word cat-air meaning tom, or if it is merely cat with the ER added.

Wawa is probably imitative in origin, approximating one of the domestic kitty's many vocalizations. By the 1600s,

Katerwal was also being used for similar non-Cat noises and later as a noun

referring to noisy people or things.

With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.

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