From Hoots to Yelps
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Tap any rung for its meaning.
Two stepping stones: the T (rung 1, for toots) and the L (rung 2, for tools) — each borrowed to keep a rung a real word, then given back before the end. There may be several par routes — the census above shows which ones climbers actually took.
The cry of an owl, or a loud shout of laughter.
Probably imitative in origin, echoing the sound an owl makes. Similar words appear in Swedish 'huta' and other Scandinavian languages. The informal sense of something being very funny, as in 'a hoot', is a later development.
Full entry on Wiktionary ↗A sharp, short cry of pain or surprise.
Yelp comes from an Old English word meaning to boast or cry out. Over time it shifted from meaning a boastful shout to a sharp, involuntary cry. It is related to the old sense of 'yell.'
Full entry on Wiktionary ↗Definitions give each word’s most common meaning — the full entries live at Wiktionary.