keening

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English

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Etymology

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From keen +‎ -ing, from Irish caoin.

Adjective

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keening (not comparable)

  1. Sharp, shrill, especially of a sound.
    The keening sound of a dentist's drill sets my teeth on edge.

Noun

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keening (countable and uncountable, plural keenings)

  1. Intense mournful wailing after a death, often at a funeral or wake.
    • 1988, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions, Faber & Faber Limited (2021), page 85:
      Keening. I remember keening that seemed to go on all through the night: shrill, sharp, shiny, needles of sound piercing cleanly and deeply to let the anguish in, not out.
  2. (by extension) An unpleasant wailing sound.

Translations

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Verb

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keening

  1. present participle and gerund of keen

Anagrams

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