regret

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English

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Etymology

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 (grētan, “to weep”). More at greet.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɹɪˈɡɹɛt/, /ɹəˈɡɹɛt/, /ɹiˈɡɹɛt/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛt

Verb

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  1. To feel sorry about (a thing that has or has not happened), afterthink: to wish that a thing had not happened, that something else had happened instead.
    He regretted his words.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 4, in The Celebrity:
      Judge Short had gone to town, and Farrar was off for a three days' cruise up the lake. I was bitterly regretting I had not gone with him when the distant notes of a coach horn reached my ear, and I descried a four-in-hand winding its way up the inn road from the direction of Mohair.
    • Lua error in Module:quote at line 2950: Parameter 3 is not used by this template.
  2. (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

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

regret (countable and uncountable, plural regrets)

  1. Emotional pain on account of something done or experienced in the past, with a wish that it had been different; a looking back with dissatisfaction or with longing.
    • (Can we date this quote by Macaulay and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      What man does not remember with regret the first time he read Robinson Crusoe?
    • (Can we date this quote by Clarendon and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      Never any prince expressed a more lively regret for the loss of a servant.
    • (Can we date this quote by Washington Irving and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      From its peaceful bosom [the grave] spring none but fond regrets and tender recollections.
  2. (obsolete) Dislike; aversion.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Dr. H. More to this entry?)

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Further reading

French

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle French regret, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French regret (“lamentation, complaint”), deverbal of regreter (“to lament”), from re- (intensive prefix-) +‎ greter (to weep), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Lua error in Module:parameters at line 229: Parameter 1 should be a valid language code; the value "frk" is not valid. See WT:LOL. *grêtan (“to weep, mourn, lament”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Germanic *grētaną (“to weep”) and (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Lua error in Module:parameters at line 229: Parameter 1 should be a valid language code; the value "frk" is not valid. See WT:LOL. *grêotan (“to cry, weep”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Germanic *greutaną (“to weep, cry”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Indo-European *ghrew- (“to weep, be sad”). More at regret.

Pronunciation

Noun

regret m (plural regrets)

  1. regret
  2. nostalgia

Further reading

Interlingua

Noun

regret (plural regrets)

  1. regret, repentance
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