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lament

 - 3 dictionary results

la⋅ment

  [luh-ment]
–verb (used with object)
1. to feel or express sorrow or regret for: to lament his absence.
2. to mourn for or over.
–verb (used without object)
3. to feel, show, or express grief, sorrow, or regret.
4. to mourn deeply.
–noun
5. an expression of grief or sorrow.
6. a formal expression of sorrow or mourning, esp. in verse or song; an elegy or dirge.
Use lament in a Sentence
Origin:
1520–30; (n.) < L lāmentum plaint; (v.) < L lāmentārī, deriv. of lāmentum

Related forms:
la⋅ment⋅er, noun
la⋅ment⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1, 2. bewail, bemoan, deplore. 3, 4. grieve, weep. 5. lamentation, moan. 6. monody, threnody.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To lament
la·ment   (lə-měnt')   
v.   la·ment·ed, la·ment·ing, la·ments

v.   tr.

  1. To express grief for or about; mourn: lament a death.

  2. To regret deeply; deplore: He lamented his thoughtless acts.

v.   intr.

  1. To grieve audibly; wail.

  2. To express sorrow or regret. See Synonyms at grieve.

n.  

  1. A feeling or an expression of grief; a lamentation.

  2. A song or poem expressing deep grief or mourning.


[Middle English lementen, from Old French lamenter, from Latin lāmentārī, from lāmentum, lament.]
la·ment'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

lament

a nonnarrative poem expressing deep grief or sorrow over a personal loss. The form developed as part of the oral tradition along with heroic poetry and exists in most languages. Examples include Deor's Lament, an early Anglo-Saxon poem, in which a minstrel regrets his change of status in relation to his patron, and the ancient Sumerian "Lament for the Destruction of Ur." Compare complaint; elegy.

Learn more about lament with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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