regret
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Middle English regretten, from Old French regreter, regrater (“to lament”), from re- (intensive prefix) + *greter, *grater (“to weep”), from Old Frankish *grētan ("to weep, mourn, lament"; from Proto-Germanic *grētaną (“to weep”)), and Old Frankish *grēotan (“to cry, weep”), from Proto-Germanic *greutaną (“to weep, cry”), from Proto-Indo-European *ghrew- (“to weep, be sad”), equivalent to re- + greet. Cognate with Middle High German grāzan (“to cry”), Old English grǣtan (“to weep, greet”), Old English grēotan (“to weep, lament”), Old Norse gráta (“to weep, groan”), Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐌴𐍄𐌰𐌽 (gretan, “to weep”). More at greet.
Pronunciation [edit]
Verb [edit]
regret (third-person singular simple present regrets, present participle regretting, simple past and past participle regretted)
- To feel sorry about (a thing that has happened), afterthink: to wish that a thing had not happened, that something else had happened instead.
- He regretted his words.
- (more generally) To feel sorry about (any thing).
- I regret that I have to do this, but I don't have a choice.
Usage notes [edit]
This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (the -ing form), except in set phrases with tell, say, and inform, where the to infinitive is used. See Appendix:English catenative verbs
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
Noun [edit]
regret (plural regrets)
See also [edit]
Translations [edit]
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External links [edit]
- regret in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- regret in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
French [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Middle French regret, from Old French regret (“lamentation, complaint”), deverbal of regreter (“to lament”), from re- (intensive prefix-) + greter (to weep), from Frankish *grêtan (“to weep, mourn, lament”), from Proto-Germanic *grētaną (“to weep”) and Frankish *grêotan (“to cry, weep”), from Proto-Germanic *greutaną (“to weep, cry”), from Proto-Indo-European *ghrew- (“to weep, be sad”). More at regret.
Pronunciation [edit]
Noun [edit]
regret m (plural regrets)
Related terms [edit]
Interlingua [edit]
Noun [edit]
regret (plural regrets)
Related terms [edit]
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Frankish
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English words prefixed with re-
- English verbs
- English nouns
- 1000 English basic words
- French terms derived from Middle French
- French terms derived from Old French
- French terms derived from Frankish
- French terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- French terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- French nouns
- French masculine nouns
- French countable nouns
- fr:Emotions
- Interlingua nouns