growl

Meanings

Noun

• A deep, rumbling, threatening sound made in the throat by an animal.
• The rumbling sound made by a person's stomach when hungry.
• An aggressive grumbling.
• A low-pitched rumbling sound produced with a wind instrument.

Verb

• To utter a deep guttural sound, as an angry animal; to give forth an angry, grumbling sound.
• Of a wind instrument: to produce a low-pitched rumbling sound.
• To send a user a message via the Growl software library.
• To express (something) by growling.
• To play a wind instrument in a way that produces a low-pitched rumbling sound.

Origin

• From Middle English groulen, grollen, gurlen, either possibly from Old French groler (variant of croler), grouler, grouller, 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. The word is cognate with Middle Dutch grollen ("to make a noise; to croak, grumble, murmur; to be angry") (modern Dutch grollen ("to grumble")), German grollen ("to rumble; to be angry, bear ill will"), Old English grillan, griellan. Compare grill.
• The noun is derived from the verb.