lament

English

Etymology

From French lamenter, from Latin lāmentor (“I wail, weep”), from lāmenta (“wailings, laments, moanings”); with formative -mentum, from the root *la-, probably ultimately imitative. Also see latrare.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ləˈmɛnt/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Audio (Mid-Atlantic)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

lament (plural laments)

1. An expression of grief, suffering, sadness or regret.
2. A song expressing grief.

Derived terms

• lamentful (rare)

Translations

Verb

lament (third-person singular simple present laments, present participle lamenting, simple past and past participle lamented)

1. (intransitive) To express grief; to weep or wail; to mourn.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, John 16:20:

     Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice.

2. (transitive) To express great sorrow or regret over; to bewail.
   • 1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 99:

     Euston is so traditionally a part of the London scene that many will lament the passing of the old station when rebuilding is complete in readiness for the new electric service, which will probably be by multiple-units between Euston and Wolverhampton.

   • 2014 October 18, Paul Doyle, “Southampton hammer eight past hapless Sunderland in barmy encounter”, in The Guardian:

     By the end, Sunderland were lucky to lose by the same scoreline Northampton Town suffered against Southampton, in 1921. The Sunderland manager, Gus Poyet, lamented that it was “the most embarrassed I’ve ever been on a football pitch, without a doubt”.

   • 1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “ The Tenth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. , London: Printed for Jacob Tonson , →OCLC:

     One laugh'd at follies, one lamented crimes.

Synonyms

• bewail

Translations

Related terms

Further reading

• “lament”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “lament”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Mantle, manlet, mantel, mantle, mental

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Rhymes: -amɛnt

Noun

lament

1. genitive plural of lamento

Franco-Provençal

Adverb

lament (ORB)

1. Alternative spelling of 'lament, alternative form of solament (“only”)

References

• seulement in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca

French

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

lament

1. third-person plural present indicative/subjunctive of lamer

Anagrams

• mêlant, mental

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

lament

Wikipedia ^pl

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lāmentum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈla.mɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -amɛnt
• Syllabification: la‧ment

Noun

lament m inan

1. lament (expression of grief, suffering, or sadness)

   Synonym: lamentacja

2. (poetry) threnody

   Synonyms: lamentacja, tren

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• lament in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• lament in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lamentum.

Noun

lament n (plural lamente)

1. wailing, moaning, weeping

Declension

References

• lament in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN