miaou

Miaou is an onomatopoeic word used to represent a cat's meow in English-language writing. Spelling varies: miaou is common in British English and in French, while meow is the standard form in American English. An alternative English variant is miaow, though usage varies by author and publication.

Origin and usage: The term imitates the sound made by domestic cats. As an onomatopoeia, it can function as a noun describing the sound or as an interjection in dialogue to indicate a cat's vocalization. It appears in literature and comics to convey a cat’s dialogue or to evoke a feline presence.

Cross-language notes: In French, miaou is also used to denote the same sound; it is an example of how different languages spell cat vocalizations. In English-language publishing, the choice of miaou, miaow, or meow can reflect regional conventions, stylistic preferences, or tone.

In dictionaries and linguistic references, miaou is listed as an onomatopoeic representation of a cat's call. The word forms part of the broader family of animal sounds used in writing and translation to evoke audible cues without quotation marks or phonetic notation.