cooee

Definition

A long, loud call used to attract attention when at a distance, mainly done in the Australian bush.

Etymology

Borrowed from Dharug guuu-wi, adopted into English by white settlers in Australia from 1790.

Example Sentences

• "Then they heard in the distance the "coo-ee" of a white man, which was instantly answered by another "coo-ee"."
• "I call out, “Coo-ee” with long Coo and short ee like whip-bird call. Everybody in my mob know my cooee. Any one of my mob hear that, they give me cooee back. I listen. No cooee come back."
• "2006, Saskia Beudel, Walking: West MacDonnell Ranges 2002, in Drusilla Modjeska, The Best Australian Essays 2006, page 309, Just as I was preparing to write in my exercise book, I heard a cooee. Cooees were not part of the code."