noun
Meaning 1
A soft cry or whimper; an act of mewling.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
mewl
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Canada, UK: /ˈmjuːl/
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rhymes with -uːl
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homophone: mule
verb
Meaning 2
To cry weakly with a soft, high-pitched sound; to whimper; to whine.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
cry weakly or softly
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- she wailed with pain
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: wail, whimper, pule
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: cry, weep
History
Etymology
From 1599 or earlier (1530 in a Scottish document), apparently from Shakespeare with this spelling. Perhaps from Middle English mewen (“to whimper”) + -le (frequentative suffix).
Across languages
Translations
11 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Czech: mňoukání — soft cry or whimper
- Czech: kňourání — soft cry or whimper
- Finnish: ininä — soft cry or whimper
- Czech: mňoukat — to cry weakly
- Czech: kňourat — to cry weakly
- Finnish: inistä — to cry weakly
- French: pleurnicher — to cry weakly
- French: geindre — to cry weakly
- German: wimmern — to cry weakly
- German: quäken — to cry weakly
- Russian: хныкать (xnykatʹ) — to cry weakly