Meanings of びょうびょう

Question

Can びょうびょう be used to mean the sound of a strong wind? Or does it mean "boundless; limitless; vast; broad" wind?

びょうびょうと風が、耳元でうなった

Answer 1

The びょうびょう you're referring to as "boundless" is [渺渺]{びょうびょう}, usually used as -たる form (形容動詞).

In this context, the word is an onomatopoeia for the howling sound of the wind (note that it has nothing to do with 渺渺). As @ganbare says, びゅうびゅう is much more commonly used for the sound of wind, but such variations are fairly common in onomatopoeic expressions. I feel that びょうびょう sounds more harsh than びゅうびゅう, but it's probably just me.

びょうびょう/びよびよ for the sound of the howling sound of a dog (as @stack reader refers to) is an archaic usage and is mostly extinct today.

Answer 2

I think you might be right and that the dictionary is lacking(which is not rare) by only showing the definition as("boundless; limitless; vast; broad"). I searched many web dictionaries in Japanese websites and it seems that it can be meant as the howling sound of a dog. So perhaps the howling sound of the wind as well.

Answer 3

びゅうびゅう is right. びょうびょう is not common Japanese. Meaning would be almost right. It means too strong wind to go out and keep comfortable.