miaou
part of speech
verb (miaou, miaous, miaoued, miaouing); noun (a miaou, miaous); interjection; also spelled «miaow» (UK) and «meow» (US)
meaning for a pupil
1) The sound a cat makes. tree →
2) (verb) To make this sound: «The cat miaoued at the door». tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories and early reading books, «miaou» is a sound word (onomatopoeia) for a cat's cry. It is an older or more French-looking spelling; «miaow» is common in the UK, Ireland, Australia and NZ, and «meow» in the USA and Canada. In French, cats say «miaou» too. Phrases: «miaou!», «miaoued loudly».
examples
- «Miaou!» said the little cat. tree →
- The cat miaoued at the back door to be let in. tree →
- Our kitten gives a tiny miaou when she is hungry. tree →
- In French books cats say «miaou». tree →
- «Miaou» is a word that sounds like the noise it names. tree →
- The cat's miaous woke me up at five o'clock. tree →
- I heard a sad miaou from the shed. tree →
- Dogs say «woof», cats say «miaou». tree →
- "Miaou!" said Old Tom in answer. tree →
note
Spellings: miaou, miaow (UK), meow (US) – all mean the same. It is an example of onomatopoeia (a word that copies a sound). Pronounced «mee-OW». Not a maths word.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «miaou» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.