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lamentation

[lam-uhn-tey-shuhn]

Origin

noun

the act of lamenting or expressing grief.

Lamentations, (used with a singular verb) a book of the Bible, traditionally ascribed to Jeremiah. Abbreviation: Lam.

Origin:
1325–75; < Latin lāmentātiōn- (stem of lāmentātiō), equivalent to lāmentāt(us) (past participle of lāmentārī; see lament) + -iōn- -ion; replacing Middle English lamentacioun < Anglo-French ≪ Latin, as above

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Lamentation is always a great word to know.

So is callithumpian. Does it mean:

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

lamentation (ˌlæmɛnˈteɪʃən)

—n
1.	a lament; expression of sorrow
2.	the act of lamenting

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

lamentation

late 14c., from L. lamentationem (nom. lamentatio) "wailing, moaning, weeping," from lamentatus, pp. of lamentari, from lamentum "a wailing," from PIE base *la- "to shout, cry," probably ultimately imitative. Replaced O.E. cwiþan.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Easton

Bible Dictionary

Lamentation definition

(Heb. qinah), an elegy or dirge. The first example of this form of poetry is the lament of David over Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam. 1:17-27). It was a frequent accompaniment of mourning (Amos 8:10). In 2 Sam. 3:33, 34 is recorded David's lament over Abner. Prophecy sometimes took the form of a lament when it predicted calamity (Ezek. 27:2, 32; 28:12; 32:2, 16).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Matching Quote

"[On Harvard President Charles William Eliot's lamentation that the average Harvard graduate had fewer than two children:] That is quite enough. Harvard graduates do not always make the best fathers. Why should we be agitated over the too small families of the rich when there are so many children of the poor that are not cared for? The rich should make it their duty to raise up these children to a higher standard.... Men of the world hate to give up their tobacco, liquor, sports, clubs, their luxurious habits, their freedom from responsibility. They prefer to flock together and so women are compelled to do the same. President Eliot talks as though the young women were sitting around anxiously and aimlessly waiting for the graduates to come and get them. He would find, if he should make the proper investigation, that a class of women is being developed who are demanding a higher standard of morals in men than did those of past generations, and if they cannot get husbands who reach this standard they are making very satisfactory careers for themselves outside of marriage."

-Susan B. Anthony

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lamentation

lam·en·ta·tion

Lamentation definition