lament

lament

See also: Lament.

English

WOTD – 6 February 2010

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

expression of grief, suffering, or sadness

Albanian: rëngë (sq) Arabic: عَوِيل‎ m (ʿawīl), رَثَاء‎ m (raṯāʾ), مَنْدَب‎ m (mandab), نُوَاح‎ m (nuwāḥ) Armenian: հառաչանք (hy) (haṙačʿankʿ), տրտունջ (hy) (trtunǰ), գանգատ (hy) (gangat) Bulgarian: вопъл (bg) m (vopǎl), ридание (bg) n (ridanie) Catalan: lament (ca) m Czech: nářek m, bědování n, truchlení n Ewe: konyifafa Finnish: valitus (fi) French: lamentation (fr) f Galician: laído m, laio m, salaio m, queixume m, pranto m, pranxido m German: Klage (de) f, Wehklage f, Klagen (de) n, Wehklagen (de) n Ido: lamento (io) Irish: ong m (literary), olagón m Italian: lamento (it) m Latin: lamentum n Macedonian: оплаку́вање n (oplakúvanje), тагу́вање n (tagúvanje), зави́вање n (zavívanje) Norwegian: sorg (no) m Persian: افسوس‎ (fa) (afsūs), دژوان‎ (fa) (dožvān), دریغ‎ (fa) (darīγ) Polish: lament (pl) m Portuguese: lamento (pt) m, lamentação (pt) f Russian: стена́ние (ru) n (stenánije), причита́ние (ru) n (pričitánije), завыва́ние (ru) n (zavyvánije) Scottish Gaelic: caoidh f, caoineadh m Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: јадиковање ?, ле̏ле̄к m Roman: jadikovanje (sh) ?, lȅlēk (sh) m Spanish: lamento (es), lamentación (es) Swedish: jämmer (sv) n, klagan (sv) c Yiddish: געוויין‎ n (geveyn)

song expressing grief

Albanian: rëngë (sq), vajtim (sq), gjëmë (sq), Pleqërishte, lashtërishtë Arabic: مَرْثِيَة‎ f (marṯiya) Armenian: եղերերգ (hy) (ełererg), եղերերգություն (hy) (ełerergutʿyun) Bulgarian: елегия (bg) f (elegija) Czech: žalozpěv m Dutch: klaagzang (nl) m Ewe: konyifaha Finnish: valitusvirsi (fi) French: complainte (fr) f German: Klagegesang (de) m, Klagelied (de) n Greek: Ancient: θρῆνος m (thrênos) Macedonian: та́жалка f (tážalka), еле́гија f (elégija) Maori: apakura, mōteatea, matatangitangi, takuate, tūkeka, pihe, waiata tangi Persian: نوحه‎ (fa) (nohe), مرثیه‎ (fa) (marsīye) Polish: lament (pl) m, tren (pl) m Portuguese: lamento (pt) m Russian: эле́гия (ru) f (elégija), причита́ние (ru) n (pričitánije), погреба́льная песнь f (pogrebálʹnaja pesnʹ), панихи́да (ru) f (panixída), похоро́нная песнь f (poxorónnaja pesnʹ) Scottish Gaelic: tuireadh m, cumha m Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: ту̀жбалица f, ту́жа̄љка f, туго̀ва̄нка f Roman: tùžbalica (sh) f, túžāljka (sh) f, tugòvānka (sh) f Swedish: klagosång (sv) c

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 964384981, John 16:20:

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

2. (transitive) To feel great sorrow or regret; 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, Paul Doyle, "Southampton hammer eight past hapless Sunderland in barmy encounter", The Guardian, 18 October 2014:

     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 Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] 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 80026745:

     One laugh'd at follies, one lamented crimes.

Synonyms

• bewail

Translations

express grief

Arabic: بَكَى‎ (bakā), نَاحَ‎ (nāḥa), أَعْوَلَ‎ (ʾaʿwala), عَوَّلَ‎ (ʿawwala) Armenian: գանգատվել (hy) (gangatvel), տրտնջալ (hy) (trtnǰal) Assamese: বিনা (bina) Bulgarian: тъгувам (bg) (tǎguvam) Catalan: lamentar (ca) Czech: náříkat impf, bědovat (cs) impf, truchlit impf Ewe: fa konyi Finnish: valittaa (fi) French: se lamenter (fr) Galician: craiar, laiar, salaiar, lanxir German: wehklagen (de) Icelandic: harma, syrgja (is) Ido: lamentar (io) Irish: caoin, olagón a dhéanamh Italian: lamentarsi (it) Japanese: 悲しむ (ja) (kanashimu) Latin: dēfleō, lamentor Luxembourgish: bejéimeren Macedonian: та́гува (táguva) Maori: taurere, uhunga, mōteatea Ngazidja Comorian: udumbia Norwegian: sørge Old English: cwiþan, rēotan Persian: زاریدن‎ (fa) (zārīdan) Polish: lamentować (pl) impf Portuguese: lamentar (pt) Romanian: lamenta (ro) Russian: стена́ть (ru) (stenátʹ), пла́кать (ru) (plákatʹ), сокруша́ться (ru) (sokrušátʹsja), горева́ть (ru) (gorevátʹ), го́рько жа́ловаться (górʹko žálovatʹsja), се́товать (ru) (sétovatʹ) Scottish Gaelic: caoidh, caoin Spanish: lamentar (es) Swedish: jämra (sv) Tamil: வருந்து (ta) (varuntu) Telugu: శోకించు (te) (śōkiñcu) Tocharian B: kwäs-, tränk-

bewail

Arabic: بَكَى‎ (bakā), رَثَى‎ (raṯā), نَاحَ عَلَى‎ (nāḥa ʿalā), أَعْوَلَ عَلَى‎ (ʾaʿwala ʿalā) Armenian: ողբալ (hy) (ołbal), սգալ (hy) (sgal) Bulgarian: оплаквам (bg) (oplakvam) Catalan: lamentar (ca) Czech: oplakávat impf Egyptian: (jwjw) Ewe: fa konyi Finnish: surra (fi), itkeä (fi), valittaa (fi) French: plaindre (fr) German: beklagen (de) Gothic: 𐌵𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍉𐌽 (qainōn) Greek: Ancient: θρηνέω (thrēnéō) Icelandic: harma Irish: caoin, éagaoin Latin: lamentor Macedonian: опла́кува (oplákuva) Maori: uhunga Old English: cwiþan Portuguese: lamentar (pt) Romanian: boci (ro) Russian: опла́кивать (ru) (oplákivatʹ) Scottish Gaelic: caoidh, caoin Swedish: sörja (sv), jämra (sv)

Related terms

• lamentability
• lamentable
• lamentation
• Lamentations
• lamenting

 

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• Mantle, manlet, mantel, mantle, mental

---

French

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

lament

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

Anagrams

• mêlant, mental

---

Polish

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

Declension of lament

	singular	plural
nominative	lament	lamenty
genitive	lamentu	lamentów
dative	lamentowi	lamentom
accusative	lament	lamenty
instrumental	lamentem	lamentami
locative	lamencie	lamentach
vocative	lamencie	lamenty

Derived terms

verb

• lamentować

 

Related terms

adjective

• lamentacyjny

 

noun

• lamentacja

 

verbs

• nalamentować
• polamentować
• zalamentować

 

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

Declension of lament

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) lament	lamentul	(niște) lamente	lamentele
genitive/dative	(unui) lament	lamentului	(unor) lamente	lamentelor
vocative	lamentule		lamentelor

References

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