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Added 30 September 2026

growl

/ˈɡɹaʊ̯l/ noun

In Latin: ganniō Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about growl at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A deep, rumbling, threatening sound made in the throat by an animal.
A similar sound made by a human.
The rumbling sound made by a human's hungry stomach.

verb

To utter a deep guttural sound, as an angry animal; to give forth an angry, grumbling sound.
The dog growled at me as I walked past.
Of a wind instrument: to produce a low-pitched rumbling sound.
To send a user a message via the Growl software library.

Origin

From Middle English groulen, grollen, gurlen (“of the bowels: to growl, rumble”), either possibly from Old French groler (variant of croler (“to be agitated, shake”)), grouler, grouller (“to growl, grumble”), from Frankish *grullen, *gruljan or from Old English gryllan, both from Proto-Germanic *gruljaną (“to make a sound; to growl, grumble, rumble”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to make a noise; to mumble, murmur; to rattle; to grind; to rub, stroke”), probably ultimately imitative.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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