growl

Meanings

1. A deep, rumbling, threatening sound made in the throat by an animal.
2. A similar sound made by a human.
3. The rumbling sound made by a human's hungry stomach.
4. An aggressive grumbling.
5. A low-pitched rumbling sound produced with a wind instrument.
6. Death growl

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

Etymology

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. 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 (“to provoke, offend; to gnash the teeth”). Compare grill. The noun is derived from the verb.