mourn

English

Alternative forms

• morne (14th-15th centuries)

Etymology

From Middle English mornen, mournen, from Old English murnan, from Proto-Germanic *murnaną. Cognate with French morne (“gloomy”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) enPR: môrn, IPA^(key): /moɹn/, ; (rare) enPR: mo͝orn, IPA^(key): /mʊɹn/
• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: môn, IPA^(key): /mɔːn/; (rare) enPR: mo͝orn, IPA^(key): /mʊən/

  Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (without the horse–hoarse merger, rhotic) enPR: mōrn, IPA^(key): /mo(ː)ɹn/; (rare) enPR: mo͝orn, IPA^(key): /mʊɹn/
• (without the horse–hoarse merger, non-rhotic) IPA^(key): /moən/; (rare) enPR: mo͝orn, IPA^(key): /mʊən/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)n
• Homophone: mourne; morne (accents with the horse–hoarse merger)

Verb

mourn (third-person singular simple present mourns, present participle mourning, simple past and past participle mourned)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To express sadness or sorrow for; to grieve over (especially a death).
   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     We mourn in black; why mourn we not in blood?

   • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, Genesis 23:2:

     Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

   • 2012, BioWare, Mass Effect 3 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Nightmare:

     Thane Krios: It seems there will be no one to mourn me when I die. You're the only friend I've made in ten years.

2. (transitive) To utter in a sorrowful manner.
3. (intransitive) To wear mourning.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

mourn (countable and uncountable, plural mourns)

1. (now literary) Sorrow, grief.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “vij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book II:

     Anone after ther cam balen / and whan he sawe kynge Arthur / he alyght of his hors / and cam to the kynge on foote / and salewed hym / by my hede saide Arthur ye be welcome / Sire ryght now cam rydynge this way a knyght makynge grete moorne / for what cause I can not telle

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. A ring fitted upon the head of a lance to prevent wounding an adversary in tilting.

See also

Anagrams

• Munro, munro