Where does “howler” come from?
Howler comes from English howl plus the agent suffix -er, ultimately deriving from Latin -ārius through Old French -er and Proto-Italic -os.
howler (English): That which howls, especially an animal such as a...
Definitions
- That which howls, especially an animal such as a...
Ancestry of “howler”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | howl | The protracted, mournful cry of a dog or a wolf,... |
| 2 | Middle English | howlen | of animals To howl, yowl |
| 3 | Old English | hūlian | to howl |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *hūilōn | to howl, scream |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hūwilōną | to howl; scream |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kū- | to cry, to call; to howl, to shout; cf.... |