bleat

Bleat is a noun and a verb referring to the vocalization of sheep, goats, and other small ruminants. The bleat is typically a high-pitched, plaintive cry that may be short or drawn out. In animal behavior, bleats serve social and communicative functions: lambs bleat to call to their mothers, ewes bleat to maintain contact with the flock, and goats use bleats to signal hunger, distress, or greeting. As a verb, to bleat means to emit such a cry or, in a figurative sense, to complain in a whiny or persistent way.

The term bleat is onomatopoeic, imitating the sound it describes. Its usage is rooted in Old English and has cognates in other Germanic languages, reflecting its status as a sound-imitating word. In writing, bleat is often associated with pastoral or rural settings and is used to evoke animal behavior or countryside scenes.

In modern language, bleat also has metaphorical use beyond animal vocalizations. To bleat can describe someone’s persistent or grievance-filled complaining about relatively minor matters. This figurative sense is common in journalism, everyday speech, and literary writing, where a speaker or group is portrayed as indulging in repetitive or tiresome protest.