Forms: 6 baull, bool, 6–7 ball, baule, 6–8 baul, 5– bawl. [Found only from 15th c. Prob. ad. med.L. baulā-re to bark as a dog, ‘latrare, et est proprie canum’ (Du Cange); also in an 11th or 12th c. list of cries of animals ‘cantm latrare, seu baulare, vulpium gannire,’ etc. The Promp. Parv. has ‘baffyn as houndys, baulo, baffo, latro,’ and the earliest English instances refer to dogs. But cf. Icel. baula, Sw. böla to low like a cow, pointing to an ON. vb. *baula, f. baula a cow. In any case, originally applied to the voice of animals; hence more or less vituperative as applied to human utterance.]
† 1. intr. To bark or howl as a dog, to give mouth or tongue as an animal.
[c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 20. Baffynge or bawlynge of howndys, baulatus, baffatus.]
1563. Becon, New Catech. (1844), 390. Singing-men … in churches … may roar, bool, bleat, yell, grunt.
1556. J. Heywood, Sp. & Flie, xxxv. At my blunte behauour barke ye or ball ye.
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., I. iii. I. ii. (1651), 183. A barking dog that alwayes bawls, but seldome bites.
1675. Hobbes, Odyss. (1677), 166. The other three [dogs] ran bawling forth.
1753. [see BAWLING vbl. sb.]
2. gen. To shout at the top of one’s voice, with a loud, full, protracted sound; to cry loudly and roughly, to bellow. Often emphasized by out.
1570. Levins, Manip., /12. Baull, to cry, vociferare.
1583. Stanyhurst, Æneis, II. (Arb.), 67. I belcht owt blasphemye bawling.
1622. Heylyn, Cosmogr., III. (1682), 104. The cryers kept a bauling in the steeples … for the people to come to Church.
1782. Cowper, Gilpin, 104. And ev’ry soul cried out, well done, As loud as he could bawl.
1872. Thackeray, Christm. Bks., 8. I heard him bawling out to Gregory in the passage.
b. Const. against, at, for.
1618. Holyday, Juvenal, 240. We baul, More for our gold, then for a funeral.
1708. Swift, Abol. Chr., Wks. 1755, II. I. 88. To bawl one day in seven against the lawfulness of those methods.
1863. Kingsley, Water-Bab., vii. 267. They all bawled at her at once.
3. trans. To utter with bawling; to shout at the top of one’s voice. (Often with out.)
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., II. ii. 27. Those that bawl out the ruins of thy linen.
1709. Steele & Swift, Tatler, No. 66, ¶ 1. To bawl out, My Beloved; and the Words Grace! Regeneration! Sanctification!
1836. Marryat, Japhet, lxvi. Bawling out his ditty.
1850. Thackeray, Pendennis, xxvii. 257. ‘I will fling you out of window’ … bawled out Mr. Pen.
b. To ‘cry’ for sale, as a hawker.
1709. Swift, Vind. Bickerstaff Wks. 1735, I. 184 (J.). It grieved me to the Heart, when I saw Labours, which had cost so much Thought and Watching, bawled about by common Hawkers.
