bemoan
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Middle English bemenen, bimenen, from Old English bemǣnan (“to bemoan, bewail, lament”), equivalent to be- (“about, concerning”) + moan. Alteration of vowel from Middle to Modern English due to analogy with moan.
Pronunciation [edit]
- (RP) IPA: /bɪˈməʊn/, X-SAMPA: /bI"m@Un/
- (GenAm) IPA: /bɪˈmoʊn/, X-SAMPA: /bI"moUn/
- Rhymes: -əʊn
- Hyphenation: be‧moan
Verb [edit]
bemoan (third-person singular simple present bemoans, present participle bemoaning, simple past and past participle bemoaned)
- (transitive) to complain about; to dismay or worry about something
- He bemoaned the drought but went on watering his lawn.