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

• IPA^(key): /ləˈmɛnt/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

lament (plural laments)

1. An expression of grief, suffering, or sadness.
2. A song expressing grief.

Derived terms

• lamentful (rare)

Translations

expression of grief, suffering, or sadness

• Armenian: հառաչանք (hy) (haṙačʻankʻ), տրտունջ (hy) (trtunǰ), գանգատ (hy) (gangat)
• Bulgarian: вопъл (bg) m (vopǎl), ридание (bg) n (ridanie)
• Catalan: lament (ca) m
• Ewe: konyifafa
• Finnish: valitus (fi)
• French: lamentation (fr) f
• 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
• Norwegian: sorg (no) m
• Persian: افسوس (fa) (afsūs), دژوان (fa) (dožvān), دریغ (fa) (darīγ)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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

• Armenian: եղերերգ (hy) (eġererg), եղերերգություն (hy) (eġerergutʻyun)
• Bulgarian: елегия (bg) f (elegija)
• 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)

• Maori: apakura, mōteatea, matatangitangi, takuate, tūkeka, pihe, waiata tangi
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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.
   • Bible, John xvi. 20

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

2. (transitive) To feel great sorrow or regret; to bewail.
   • 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”.

   • (Can we date this quote by Dryden and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     One laughed at follies, one lamented crimes.

Synonyms

• bewail

Translations

express grief

• Armenian: գանգատվել (hy) (gangatvel), տրտնջալ (hy) (trtnǰal)
• Bulgarian: тъгувам (bg) (tǎguvam)
• Catalan: lamentar (ca)
• Ewe: fa konyi
• Finnish: valittaa (fi)
• French: se lamenter (fr)
• 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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Luxembourgish: bejéimeren
• Maori: taurere, uhunga, mōteatea
• Ngazidja Comorian: udumbia
• Norwegian: sørge
• Persian: زاریدن (fa) (zārīdan)
• 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)

bewail

• Armenian: ողբալ (hy) (oġbal), սգալ (hy) (sgal)
• Bulgarian: оплаквам (bg) (oplakvam)
• Catalan: lamentar (ca)
• Ewe: fa konyi
• Finnish: surra (fi), itkeä (fi), valittaa (fi)
• French: plaindre (fr)
• German: beklagen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: θρηνέω (thrēnéō)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: harma
• Irish: caoin
• Latin: lamentor
• Maori: uhunga
• 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, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “lament”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Mantle, manlet, mantel, mantle, mental

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French

Verb

lament

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

Anagrams

• mêlant, mental